Fie, Fie, The Russian Smell
by Kuroneko Hikage
Summary: Tragedy strikes the Katsuki family and Mari and Yuuri are given everything left behind, including a charming little cabin in the Northwestern part of the United States, a completely mystery. When Yuuri arrives, he would meet the most wonderful and confusing man in existence. Across the world, a tiger is hunting for his family and crashes into a man's boring life. Literally.
1. Day One

A/N: Not quite sure how long I'm going to make this story, but I do have the first ten chapters roughly planned. For a while I had so many ideas and I just didn't know which one to focus all of my attention on, so I would just write what came to me all through those different ideas, and eventually this took shape and I was starting to plan this one further and further until I was ignoring my other ones.

This fanfiction is dedicated to my good friend Mymomomo (AshSeven on AO3). Even when her and her family were dealing with hurricane Maria, she's always been there to encourage me and help me through my writing blocks. They are all alive and well. Thank you so much and please enjoy!

*O*

Peace and serenity. Those were the first impressions that came to mind as Yuuri Katsuki pulled into a small town nestled at the bottom of a lone mountain in the northwest corner of the states. It was tiny and quaint, nothing like the hectic, fast-paced city life he had been entangled with for the past five years and the contrast was a fresh change of pace. As he maneuvered his car down the roads, he could tell just from observing the people interacting with one another that this was a friendly place, one where everyone knew each other, went out of their way for one another, and he couldn't help but be reminded of his hometown back in Japan. Hasetsu's people were the same, still are. No matter when a person left, the people remaining would always remember them when they came back, and Yuuri's gut twisted something awful with homesickness.

Depression set in quick after that, his mental state a downward spiral that was quick to lead him to tears. Sight seeing had to be out of the question as the reason for Yuuri's slow stroll through this darling town came back to him. It wasn't for a happy vacation. There was a point in where he thought about calling the whole trip off, to hide in the corner of his dorm room overcome with grief, but his sister would have none of that. She helped build up enough strength and courage to come here, and even then she told him that if his anxiety got the better of him then he should call her and they would get him through it, regardless of the time zones separating them.

Mari was the best sister in the entire world, granted his only sister, but no matter what he went through she always had his back: his childhood, his dancing, even that weird phase when he wanted to be a figure skater, and more so now due to the recent tragedy of their parents' death. When he'd gotten the news, he had shut down, a wall greater than the one in China separating him from the rest of the world, even his best friend couldn't get through to him despite his soft voice and soothing hugs. The one to make it past his seemingly precipitous walls had been Mari, but only when Phichit was able to coax his phone against his ear two days after initially hearing the news. Even then, it took her a long time for her to convince him to venture out of his nested corner, and together with his best friend, they got him to resemble something akin to a human being, showering and eating before sending him off to bed. He hadn't wanted to be alone, so Phichit had crawled in with him, letting his best friend fall asleep with tears still stuck in his eyelashes.

Finding himself too distracted to drive properly, he pulled over into the nearest parking lot, which belonged to a small diner that wasn't at all busy despite the mid morning hour, and turned off the engine. He was about to have another anxiety attack, he could feel it creeping out from the center of his heart as it slowly started stiffening his limbs Yuuri closed his eyes, leaned his head back against the headrest and took deep, measured breaths in the hopes that it would calm him down. He promised he would video chat with Mari when he got close to the cabin, but that was still an hour's drive and he didn't want to bother more than he already has with his anxiety. He'd apologize to her later because he knew she would get really mad when she found out. For now, he took a few minutes for himself, waiting until the anxiety was slowly starting to recede into something manageable. He knew that being manageable wasn't enough, though, and he continued to breathe for another half an hour before it disappeared completely.

Calmed and no longer stuck inside his own head about things he had no control over, he got out of his car and walked into the diner. It was charming, a retro fifties-styled mom and pop place that served greasy food and sweet deserts. As loudly as that beautiful, glass covered slice of chocolate cake sitting on the counter was calling to him, he couldn't afford to have a sweet tooth right now and got himself a coffee to go. He couldn't risk wearing himself out like this and it was through a wild escapade with Phichit that he found this nifty drink. A warm cup of tea helped immensely, but coffee did wonders after a crying fit as long as it was black with no sugar.

Yuuri spent the next hour and thirty minutes making his way out of town and towards the property he had traveled so far to take care of. He ended up calling up Mari and mounting her face on the dashboard so that he could have some company so he could still keep his hands on the wheel. As he predicted, he had to apologize before they started talking about other things. First it was the old times they shared as a family, how the onsen was doing, how everyone in Hasetsu missed him and wished he would visit, and that the triplets were demanding souvenirs.

"Really, Yuuri, they've gotten worse! I don't understand how they turned out so bratty when Yuuko is such a sweetheart. She has her hands full."

Yuuri chuckled as he guided the car along the curved road. "Well, you do remember that Nishigori-san IS their father. He was the same way when he was their age."

Mari grumbled. "Yeah, I remember beating him up a couple times..."

His chuckle became full laughter. "And I'm sure you still could, but try to resist your more extreme violent tendencies with the girls since you are an adult now. If Minako-sensei says they are doing well in their ballet and skating, I might get them something."

"No promises, and it doesn't help that you spoil them."

"I don't spoil them."

Disbelief colored her tone when she grunted at him. "You do."

"No, I just reward them for good behavior. If not, then they get something far different from me. Remember when I first moved to America? I told them that I would keep tabs on their progress, but imagine my surprise when Minako told me that they were slacking off. They weren't as sneaky about it as they thought they were and she easily found out."

"When was this?"

"About two weeks after I left."

Mari took her cigarette out and settled closer to the camera. "Ehh...? Why is this the first I'm hearing of it?"

"Because you were still in Tokyo at the time, remember? So I conspired with Yuuko and..."

He cut himself off as a mailbox came into view on the right-hand side of the road, black with three pieces of wood intricately woven together to make up the stand, and the bold English letters spelling out his family's last name even from where he was now. The driveway next to it looked paved, the width only allowing for one car at a time, and it led deep into the trees that surrounded the area.

Yuuri slowed the car to a stop, giving himself enough room to turn into the driveway. There was no mistaking it. _Katsuki_. This was the place he was going to be stuck at until however long it took to... How long it took... To do what he needed to do. Swallowing the lump in his throat, and trying to push his anxiety along with it, he released a big sigh. All sorts of emotions, new and old, started to well up in his heart until it overflowed into his throat and fed that lump, cutting off any chance of it going away.

"Little brother?" Mari's face was blurry, his emotions moving past his throat and spilling over out of his eyes. He blinked as they ran down his face, working his voice box to say something.

"I'm here," he managed, wiping the tears off his face, his eyes and face reddening as he did so. "I'm here."

Mari gave him an understanding nod. "I know it's hard, Yuuri. I'm here with you. Tell me everything."

He broke down, then, sobs ripping from his throat as he took his hands off the wheel and his feet off the pedals. "I wish you were physically here."

"I know. I wish I could hug you."

He hid his face in his palms, trying to literally stem the flow from his eyes with his fingers. "Why am I here?"

"Because I'm an evil bitch-monster sister that ordered you to go there." Her tone was flat, a joking deadpan that had Yuuri breathe out a small chuckle.

"You aren't a bitch-monster..."

"Oh..? But I'm evil?"

That response ripped a louder chuckle from him in between sobs. "When you really want to be."

"It's all a lie! I'm evil all the time!"

Yuuri sniffled as he tried to clear away the tears, rubbing his face red in the process but her banter easily lifted his heart from the dark return trip it took back into grief. "And I love you, anyways."

She smiled softly. "Go on, baby bro. I'm right here with you."

Taking a deep breath and fanning a hand in front of his flushed face in an attempt to cool down, Yuuri took a plunge into the pool of courage before he could talk himself out of it. He was here and they both knew it would be useless to back out at the last minute, but that still didn't quell the nervousness he felt under his skin. The mystery of this place, an inherited cabin the knew nothing about in a location their parents often traveled to, desperately needed attention and the siblings agreed they would figure out what to do with it once they inspected every inch of it, as well as the surrounding land; they wanted to discover old trinkets and hidden memories trapped inside, secrets their parents took with them to the grave, whether they meant to or not. Mari likened it to an adventure, running off to explore knew places like they did in their childhood.

Hiroko and Toshiya had always been open about when they took their vacations, where they traveled and the idyllic homes they purchased in picturesque cities around the world. Mari and Yuuri had been to them frequently when they were younger, on vacation from school and a few times when they were on break from college - this place an exclusion. Since his sister was busy maintaining the onsen they had decided to keep open and running back in Hasetsu, in their mother country, Yuuri had to be the one to come here, but that didn't mean he was alone, and even if it was by phone Mari's presence gave him some comfort from that thought.

Gently guiding the car into the driveway that led into the dense trees of the surrounding forest, the width of the road only big enough for one car, he allowed himself to gaze around as the vehicle slowly crept forward. It was beautiful; the array of golden leaves on the trees were casting an iridescent hue in the forest, beams of sunlight were breaking through the canopy to light fuzzy particles of pollen floating in the air, and very active with the sound of birds. On the ground, various kinds of shrubbery hugged the roadside and expanded out into the forest between sturdy tree trunks. Yuuri couldn't have been on the property any more than five minutes and already he felt enchanted.

Unable to speak, he continued to graze around him in awe while pulling up to a larger circle of pavement, an obvious place to park the car as the road ended here. The only path that led away from this plot was a small, brick path that jumped over a nearby creek and continued beyond, and if Yuuri looked hard enough he could see his destination peeking out from the behind in the dense trees. The distance didn't seem too far away from the car, and the trek shouldn't be hard with the path mostly cleared of leaves and sticks.

He wanted to tell Mari everything he was seeing right now in detail, but because of his inability to remember words and also realizing that words wouldn't do the scenery justice, he decided to show her. Once he parked the car and turned off the engine, he picked up his phone, not ignoring his sister as she called out to him, looking at her with a giddiness that he hadn't known even existed inside himself, but not replying to any of her questions, either. He stood up and let the view speak for itself as he swept her face out across the beautiful landscape, knowing that all of her inquiries had been answered when he heard her gasp.

"Gorgeous," he heard Mari whisper through the phone's speaker as he panned across the forest in front of him. "If I'm seeing this through the phone, I can only imagine what it's like in person."

Yuuri let loose a small smile as he turned her back towards him, finally finding his voice. "I feel like I'm in a story book."

Mari paused, listening to indiscernible shouting off-camera, and sighed. "I was wrong. I should have joined you. Anything to avoid dealing with these people."

Yuuri's smile turned to a knowing smirk. "Too late, now."

"Yeah... call me again in the evening, okay? For now, try to keep calm? Remember to breathe and only go further if you think you can handle it. If your anxiety gets the better of you then either leave or call me regardless. You got that, Yuu-chan?" Overwhelmed with her sincerity and protectiveness, a big sister thing he grew up with and should be used to by now, he complied with her request, sending her off with a soft and loving farewell.

The noise of the forest filled the empty air left by the end of their conversation, sounds of insects creaking, birds chirping, and the trickling of water from the creek. How did the parents ever manage to leave this place behind, let alone never mention it? Did they just want to keep this place their own little secret, or was there something more to it? He supposed he would find that answer soon enough when he could actually get his muscles to comply with his brain's demand to move. He didn't bring much with him, just his school bag and a suitcase, but those will be left in the car for now. Yuuri didn't know how long he was going to be here so he packed light, bringing enough clothes for two weeks along with his toiletries and basic necessities. He could always go into town to do laundry or buy more things if he was in need, Google had located several around them, but all at least an hour's drive.

The sight of these woods set a burning resolve in his mind to push his way into his parents' secrets, and so he walked leisurely to the brick path, one foot steadily placed in front of the other. The bricks weren't bright red with a clear pattern, nor were they aligned perfectly from a professional grouting company like he would find in a nice neighborhood; they were dirty brown colors with edges that disappeared into the grass, straight enough to edge the bridge and then becoming unruly again. The creek wasn't large, maybe ten feet across with an easy path down to the bank. He would have to test out the depth of that water later, whose surface was reflecting the orange glow of his surroundings. A childlike urge to push Mari into that calm water ran through him and he allowed himself a fond smile before quickly hurrying himself forward. The path cut through the forest, and within only ten minutes of walking those little peeks of the cabin he'd been getting started to get a little wider until he saw the building unbarred as he came to the clearing's edge. The cabin was surrounded by the same trees he walked through to get here, and it was a grand sight he wasn't expecting.

The wood of the cabin was vibrant, a light brown that was almost orange, a rich color that Yuuri instantly fell in love with. The roof was deeply slanted and almost touched the ground in an A frame, promising either two stories, or one big story with a loft. The path he was on led to a couple of wooden steps and a porch that stretched across the front, which was covered in multiple windows. Halfway between the trees and the cabin, the stone path broke off into a square sitting area, with benches made of that same wood and a fire pit. A large crate that contained all sizes of firewood, from big logs to tiny branches, was kept dry by its own lid that parroted the cabin's frame. The benches and chairs had iron legs and frame to keep the seats sturdy and Yuuri spotted a small chest against the firewood box that probably held a bunch of cushions capable of withstanding the weather. Maybe if he made enough acquaintances here, he could have a small get-together before he left, or at least invite a few people out. He wasn't normally one for big crowds, but if it was just family and friends, that wouldn't be so bad.

Turning back toward the cabin, staring in awe of those giant windows and sleek lines, he felt a shiver go up his spine. He had the key with him, it was sitting with the rest of his keys in his pocket, kept one a separate key ring. Hyper-aware of the fact that he would need to eventually work his way inside of the building, the Japanese man instead skirted around it, inspecting the grass and surrounding brush in case he spotted something he would have to fix. Instead he found clean lines and no visible imperfections in the foundation. Their lawyer had told him that their parents had someone clean this place once a week and maintenance once a month, so he really didn't have to worry about dust and modern repair, though both services might no longer be required if they decided not to keep it. Yuuri and Mari offered them jobs at the onsen for the time being, though, which both of them agreed, and both of them gave him their keys. Now it was up to him to figure out what to do with the property.

The back yard was beautiful, the patio paved with the same flat, grey stones that had started from the edge of the clearing, and disappeared under another sitting area, with more wooden benches and a white chiminea sat close by for warmth while a total of five tiki torches surrounded the area. Yuuri imagined they would provide additional warmth on the colder nights, as well as keeping away the bugs. Not a bad set up. He could see another path, smaller and unpaved, cutting into the woods farther back, but he would explore that later. Any more delays really weren't good for him or his anxiety, and he wanted to get inside before it built up too much for him to do so. He wouldn't bother Mari, either, as she had the onsen to tend to.

Yuuri went back to his car to retrieve his things, only a suitcase and backpack; but if he ended up staying here longer than planned he could always buy some more clothes. He mostly packed his work-out clothes and underwear, only bringing a couple of public-worthy outfits. He may be on vacation, but that was no excuse to get sloppy. With a body that easily got fat, the times he could indulge himself were rare and took twice as effort to recover from.

After hearing the echoing chirp of the car's alarm setting, though it was probably useless considering he was in the middle of nowhere, there was no shaking the city-boy habits, and he trekked the path once more until it brought him to the door, wooden frame with sturdy glass paneling. He could see a large room with a fireplace and a flat screen television on the wall, but not much else, so he inserted the key and turned the lock, the weight of his hand pushing the door open. It was amazing. To his right was a spiral staircase that gave way to the edge of a loft, a railing cutting off any potential, and lethal, falls. The living room had a coffee table boxed in by a couple of chairs and a long, sectional sofa that faced the flat screen he saw earlier. The fireplace was on the opposite wall with a small cradle for wood, which the chairs could easily be turned to face.

Behind the living room and under the stairs was a bar with stools separating it from the kitchen, and next to it was a short hallway. Leaving his things at the entrance and closing the door behind him, Yuuri investigated that hallway, finding a roomy bathroom and a spacious closet. The loft, which had a beautiful Native American tapestry draped over the railing, was actually a bedroom, a glass door leading to a small, back balcony he missed when he had walked around the perimeter. There was a wardrobe, dresser, and a vanity mirror that without a doubt belonged to his mother. The bed was nothing luxurious, but neither was it shabby. Laying on it, it felt clean, soft, and the most comfortable thing he'd ever rested on. As soon as his body dropped onto it, all of his strength left him and he didn't want to get back up.

Between jet lag, the road trip and all of his emotional shit, it was no surprise he fell blissfully unconscious, dreams were more like memories of when he was the most happy with Mari and their parents. When he woke up it was still daylight outside, though the sun was giving off more of an orange glow than before, near enough the horizon to shine through the windows and streak across his face on the bed. When he looked at the clock, it confirmed that it was five in the afternoon. Not quite sure if he would be able to go to sleep for the rest of the night, he didn't move until his stomach protested it's lack of food. He might as well get up and see if there was anything salvageable in the kitchen. Sighing in annoyance at the human body's stupid need for consuming nutrients, Yuuri forced himself up and headed downstairs. It took him a minute or two of fumbling at the walls to find out which light switch belonged to which area of the house so he could make his way to the kitchen without tripping over something. It was light outside, but it was dark inside.

Searching the cupboards and the fridge, his suspicions were confirmed - there was no food to be found. He would either have to go shopping tonight or wait until morning. Yuuri's stomach loudly protested the latter. Well... That settles it, then. Yuuri quickly retrieved his toiletries before making his way into the bathroom, and technically, this was the first room he tackled as he threw out old bottles of things long since expired, toothbrushes and combs that weren't anything special, and a bunch of his mother's make-up, as well as his father's cologne and shaving tools. When the sink and counter were clear, Yuuri put his case down and unpacked his own things, making a mental note of what he might be running low on. He checked the closet for towels and was relieved to see a number of them - gray, fluffy, and clean - folded and filling the shelves from top to bottom, as well as washcloths, hand towels and a hamper.

Glad for these simple pleasures, Yuuri wasted no time taking a quick shower. The knobs were a bit touchy but he managed a tolerable temperature. GPS had told him the nearest town, a little over an hour away, was the biggest one in the area. It wasn't by much compared to the others, but if he was going to be out for a while, then he might as well make himself presentable. Once he was dressed and ready to go - a form-fitting black tee and a pair of his best washed out jeans - he locked the cabin up and headed towards his car. It was a little darker in the forest, simply because the canopy blocked out more of the sun, and he made a mental note to buy a flashlight while he was out, otherwise he might accidentally fumble his way into the creek.

Hoping into his car, turning around was a lot easier than Yuuri thought it would be, there was enough space for him to circle around without accidentally driving onto the dirt, plus the rental had a killer turning radius, so once he was out on the main road, he let his phone guide him with directions. He would be lying if he said he wasn't the least bit worried about being a new sight in a small town, because no one would have batted an eye if it were a bigger city. Being from a small place like Hasetsu, though, he knew that every new person was a big deal. Especially if they were a foreigner. The Katsuki name did more than well at the onsen, plus his father had played up the stock market, but instead the kids grew up in Hasetsu, so while they were abundantly rich, the Katsuki's always remained humble.

Once he made it into town, an adorable attraction for it's quaint charm, Yuuri was in no rush to leave and took his time exploring the streets. Mostly made up of homes dedicated to family upbringing and generic stores that could be found anywhere, he did come across a bunch of shops that lined a boardwalk at the edge of a lake. Intrigued at the possibilities of what he might find there, Yuuri left the car parked with the alarm on as he started walking. The shops were all unique, locally owned by half the town's population and in high demand if the crowds were anything to go by. Elaborate lamp posts and lights on strings illuminated the place further even though it was only dusk, and the air was filled with different aromas that had his mouth drooling. He was going to have to eat out tonight. There was no way he would be able to ignore all these delicious things in favor of a microwave meal at home. Did the cabin even have a microwave? He forgot to check.

He tasted a little bit of everything, anything he got his hands on, from Thai to Mexican and Chinese, the vendors had it. Some carts had the most sinful crab cakes he'd ever tasted, or kebobs of scallops, lobster and muscles. One of the shops that lined walkway was a cheese shop, and how was it that he never knew that blue cheese even existed? All of the shops, he'd learned, were pretty good about letting people in their stores with food in hand, and Yuuri took full advantage of this while he curiously popped into each and every one.

A nice young girl sold classic literature like Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, and Homer. He even found a copy of John Milton's Paradise Lost in a very pretty, leather-bound casing. An older man sold blown glass in artful swirls of color in all sorts of shapes and sizes. An elderly woman sold hand-carved and beautiful, pedestal-worthy candles. He even stumbled upon a sweets shop run by a Japanese family. While they dabbled in sweets from all around the world and their menu was always changing, but there were a few items on there that always remained the same, both American and Japanese. When he got to talking with the owners, a lovely couple from Tokyo whose long journey would be told another time, they told him that their peculiar little family was well-received here and that they always try to please the different palettes that strolled through their door. He was delighted to hear that, especially after tasting their strawberry and red bean mochi. It was absolute heaven.

After visiting a few more shops and buying more stuff than he should(he had three three bags in his hand already), it was in the carpentry shop where his night had taken a different turn. Near the back of the shop was a wall of wooden slabs in various sizes, images either painted or carved into the smooth surfaces to portray the most stunning images. There was a particular collection he was drawn to, all with the same style and elaborate initials of V.N. Yuuri squinted at the titles running along the curved bottoms of the paintings: Vasilissa the Beautiful, The Firebird, Baba Yaga, Tsarevitch Ivan. They were all so beautiful and intricate, and they all made him smile, and he froze when he came to the last one, a striking image that held his body solidly in place.

The bell above the shop door rang as someone entered, the cashier bidding them welcome and striking up a quick and familiar conversation, but Yuuri paid them no attention as he was too focused on the painting in front of him. The painting that had attracted his gaze was that of a wolf standing in a pile of snow with a blurry forest behind it, snow coming down in soft flakes. It's coat was white, extremely so, almost ethereal, and it's golden eyes were piercing with a spark of intelligence far beyond that of an animal. It was breathtaking and he wanted it. Glancing at the price, he didn't want it that much. Still, he found himself just standing there and gazing at it. He wasn't quite sure what it was that made him want it so badly so he opted to just admire its beauty before he had to leave. This shop boasted local talent from not just this town, but the surround ones, so maybe Yuuri would get the chance to meet this V.N. His work was utterly amazing.

"Obsessed with wolves?"

The question startled him out of his inner musings and his body automatically turned to address the person who asked it. He wasn't expecting it to come from a man just as beautiful. The man was taller than him, but not by much, with short, silvery hair and a long fringe that covered half his face. A bright, icy blue eye stared at him, seemingly bemused at Yuuri's enamored expression at that particular painting, though now that expression was turned on him. There was no guessing at the man's ethnic background, even though he had help from his accent, but that nose, those cheekbones and jaw structure practically screamed Russian. Who was this beautiful man and why was he here in this little town away from the glitz and glam of Hollywood?

Yuuri smiled his best public smile that wasn't at all awkward due to the distracting thoughts in his head. "Not particularly. With this picture, though, I want to be."

The beautiful man leaning forward, their shoulders brushing as he took a closer look at the image that had caught Yuuri's attention. Well, he was sidetracked with a different one, now, unable to look away from the mysterious man's profile. His one visible eye narrowed at the piece. "It is alright. The background is a blurry and lazy mess of brush strokes, but the sharp focus of the detail on the wolf more than makes up for it."

The Japanese man lifted an eyebrow at the comment, not quite sure if he should say something about it or not. Yuuri only had to think on it for a few seconds before he decided to go for it, especially when that silver hair decided to fall forward in teasing strands. "Are you some sort of art connoisseur?"

The handsome man's body jerked as he quietly chuckled. "In a sense, you're not wrong." He straightened his posture and turned toward the shorter man with a pleasant smile. It wasn't genuine, Yuuri noticed, but rather it was indifferent and shallow, the kind you give to strangers when you first meet them. "But, how does the saying go? We are our own worst critic, or something like that."

Yuuri gapped in surprise. There was no way this beautiful, weird man was the artist of something so majestic. "You did this painting," he asked dubiously.

"Among others, yes." He offered a hand in greeting, so pale and smooth, but calluses in just the right places where one might hold a brush. "Viktor Nikiforov. And your name, dark swan?"

Yuuri startled. "Swan...?"

"You walk as gracefully around the boardwalk as the prima does in ballet." Was that accent a little thicker this time? Yuuri was almost positive that it was, and it went straight to his head. Heads, he corrected himself, wrapping his arms around himself almost defensively as the man's flattery attacked his nerve endings.

"Are you secretly a danseur, too?" A cheeky reply that wasn't stuttered. He secretly patted himself on the back.

Viktor waved a hand in the air. "Nonsense. I simply notice the little details."

Yuuri isn't quite sure what he meant by that, and part of him really wanted to take offense to it, noting a slight edge to the man's smile. The part of him that won over was calm, charmed by the Russian's light tone and smooth pleasantries. The peculiarity of the taller man piqued Yuuri's curiosity and overshadowed any sort of awkwardness that he might have felt with anyone else. It was something that made the silver-haired wonder stand out further from the general populace of this area. Yuuri knew this, could see Viktor's behavioral oddities because of his own. He could tell the other man was trying to hide it, but it was in vain. Eccentricities, no matter what flavor, knew its own kind.

Prior to coming to America for his university studies, he'd been trained in classical ballet under the tutelage of Okukawa Minako, who was a famed ballerina in her youth. Yuuri had started out just like all of the other kids in his hometown, excited at trying something new and having a lot of energy to put into it. After the first couple of weeks, it became clear that he was doing better than everyone else in that class in leaps and bounds, stronger than the boys and more graceful than the girls. His technique and musicality was shaped early and the jealousy of the rest of the class gave way to terrible teasing. At first it had been nothing too serious: small jabs at his weight, mocking his idiosyncrasies, isolating him from their groups, ridiculing every time he spoke. They did it behind Minako's back, but she knew, and both of them decided to pay it no attention. Yuuri was surprisingly mature for his age, and she loved him for that. The parents of the other kids didn't bother to become involved until Yuuri was being physically traumatized, and even though the kids received punishment for their actions, they never stopped with the dirty looks and snide remarks.

Minako had taught him personally apart from the others, knowing that he was too good for anyone to even look at, but she also taught him more than what she taught the rest of her class. She shaped him into a protege worthy of the world's stage. If it weren't for the anxiety issues he garnered from his fellow bunheads, he would have made her a proud instructor. He went to school for teaching while he danced in secret in rented studio rooms. When several of his classmates found out about him, he feared the teasing would start up again, but they were nothing at all like the children he grew up with, insisting he was good enough to go professional. He had called Minako, then, who was just starting to urge him to take dancing more seriously. He wanted to go professional, to change or add classes, but it was no longer an option to think about when the accident happened a week later.

Now there was a man standing before him, a complete stranger that was equal parts weird and dazzling, not making fun of Yuuri's ballet training, complimenting the way he moved. It still felt unusual to be praised by someone other than his instructor, he was unsure of what to say. Perhaps he should ask Viktor just to make sure. "And what 'little details' have you seen in me, aside from the way I walk?"

Glossy lips pursed a moment before parting in speech. "Aside from your grace and beauty, many." His calloused hand came up to gently trace Yuuri's chin with a finger, but never letting their skin separate. "I've also fallen in love with the curve of your jaw."

Yuuri had a hard time choosing between swooning at that accent, and face-palming at the fact that his jaw could induce deep, profoundly affectionate feelings from the other man. He decided to do neither and blink stupidly instead. "You have a strange concept of beauty."

"You play dress-up in casual clothes, but it only accentuates the way you move. Your glasses cover your face, but they do not hide your Asian features. Your facial structure is something envious to the rest of the human race." If that alone didn't get Yuuri red in the face, the next thing Viktor said surely accomplished that. The finger under his chin stayed in place as a thumb started to caress his lips. "If it weren't for your meek demeanor, I would think you were purposely trying to seduce me."

It took several tries to talk around the lump in his throat. "You hardly know me." It came out raspy, thick with the tension Viktor was layering between them, and they were so close he could see the his pretty, silver eyelashes. Who was seducing who, now?

He smirked. "No, I do not know you, but I know of you." Yuuri's confused look spurs him to continue, trailing a finger from his opposite hand down his cheek. "The Katsuki genes are strong, you are the spitting image of Hiroko-san." The Russian's accent melted into perfect Japanese pronunciation as soon as he said her name.

"Eh?!" Shocked, Yuuri threw himself backwards, forcing their skin to separate which caused the taller man to frown. "You knew my mother!?"

Viktor chuckled. "Your reaction is very cute. But yes, I know your parents. Hiroko and Toshiya are very kind and we have become very close. Close enough for them to open up to me about their own family, and me to theirs." He crossed his arms over his chest, the fuzzy black sweater he was wearing scrunching around his waist and lifting the hem up a little, but he couldn't focus on that right now. "You must be their son. Yuuri, right?"

Trying to wrap his head around everything Viktor was saying, Yuuri held a hand to the side of his head hoping that physically touching it would help steady the mental hurricane going around in his thoughts. He didn't know. Viktor didn't know about anything that had happened to his parents, and it was up to Yuuri to _tell_ him, and he didn't know if he could handle that at this second, which cause a huge conflict of words battling it out to escape his mouth. He was spiraling down that dark path of grief again, and only counting in his head helped him to not sink further.

What should he say? Should he even say anything at all? That's a terrible thought, of course he should say something. If Viktor was indeed a close family friend, he deserved to know what had happened to them, regardless of his own pain and insecurities. Who else in this town knew his parents? Would he have to make a list or general public announcement? Wait, no, that was just him being ridiculous. This man was the only one to ask about them, so he tried not to worry about anyone else.

He turned away from Viktor, unable to bare the sight of him as he controlled his breathing enough to speak. "Yes, I'm Yuuri."

The tone in the man's voice was a mixture of happy that he guessed right, but also concern at Yuuri's behavior. "I figured as much when I saw you, but I didn't want to assume. She told me you were a danseur."

Yuuri grunted. "I was. I'm not anymore."

"Nonsense. Your slouching and stance says weak and troubled, but I find it hard to believe you stopped dancing completely with how fluid your movements are. Or am I wrong in assuming that, too?"

Yuuri whirled around to stare at him in surprise, Viktor's mouth twitching into a grin as if he'd just been proven correct. "Who... are you?"

Confused, Viktor pointed to himself. "I told you. My name's Viktor-"

The Japanese man shook his head. "No. I don't mean your name. You seem to know all about me, and yet never once had either of my parents mentioned you. They never told me about this place, the people here, their cabin, nothing!" Yuuri vaguely noticed that his voice was starting to rise a little, but he didn't care. He was beyond caring that his demure nature was spiking into anger and frustration in public. "Who are you? How did you know my parents? Where do you get off telling me about them?"

Viktor released a sigh, gazing down at him softly with a faint acknowledgement of something that Yuuri couldn't say. "Perhaps that would be better left for a longer conversation. I would be glad to tell you anything you want to know if you would grace me with your presence for lunch tomorrow. How does that sound?"

Yuuri really wanted to stay angry at him, but it was too exhausting to keep up with, his meltdown from earlier in the day had already drained everything out of him, and this little outburst didn't help. "I'll think about it."

Finding that as a reasonable temporary answer, the Russian dipped his head, sending that pretty silver hair fluttering as he reached into his coat for something. Yuuri waited patiently, giving him time to fish out what he needed before handing it over to him. It looked like a business card. Taking it gently from those pale fingers, consciously keeping their fingers from touching, he looked down at the stiff paper in his hand. It was rough and white with Viktor's full name embossed in the middle in shiny, red cursive. Smaller black numbers were under it.

"Call me to let me know your answer?" Yuuri absently nodded, keeping his eyes down on the card until he felt a fingertip run down his cheek. He blinked up at the other man who was giving him another soft smile. "I look forward to a favorable one. It was nice to meet you, though I wish it were under better circumstances."

With that, the mysterious Viktor backed away a couple of steps before he turned around and walked towards the exit, waving a hand at the person manning the register, who purposely pretending not to know anything about what had happened in the back of his store, before disappearing into the night's crowd. Yuuri felt frozen in place, unable to move an inch as he watched that head of silver hair gently sway into blending with the crowd. He didn't know who this guy was, didn't trust him, but if he was friends with his parents then he couldn't be all that bad, could he? He would have to call Mari and ask if their parents mentioned anything about him to her. Probably not, but it was a shot in the dark. It was too late to call her right now, and he still had a few errands to run, so he made a silent promise to call her tomorrow first thing in the morning.

Putting the card into his front pocket, he took one more look at the intricate paintings, noticing the flourish of Viktor's initials once more and comparing the two. The signature was flawless and whimsical, a beautiful set of graceful lines that looked effortless. Yuri didn't know much about art, he could count the number of times he picked up a paint brush since middle school on one hand, but it looked just as intricate and extravagant as the paintings themselves.

Yuuri mentally snorted at the thought. Viktor was certainly... different than what Yuuri was used to. And who the hell called people a 'dark swan'? Blushing and hoping to get a few last minute things done in the town before he had to drive back out to the cabin for the night, he left the shop in a bit of a daze, the thought of Viktor, lunch with Viktor, or getting to know the person his parents never mentioned, never left his mind. He wasn't quite sure if he should accept his invitation. Part of him wanted to dive right in, head first, throwing caution to the wind and letting his intuition guide him for the inevitably weird encounter. A different part of himself said no, to burn the card he could feel digging into his thigh and never speak to him again. He could be an ax murderer, a rapist, or any other such number of unpleasant and lethal things. That was probably just his anxiety talking, but he always did have a bad track record of ignoring it. What if he really was a dangerous man?

Groaning, the danseur trudged along with his shopping basket, intent on getting food for the next couple of days and then getting out of here. Thinking about all the possibilities of what or who Viktor could be was exhausting, and he longed for the plush comfort of the loft's bed. Perhaps Mari or Phichit would have some better advice on the subject. Well, he already knew what Phichit would say, so maybe just Mari. He had a feeling her advice would probably be better. Not by much, but still better all the same.

After getting home, using his new flashlight in the woods so he could see the path, and putting away the sparse food he bought in the kitchen, Yuuri dressed for bed and welcomed the dreamland soon to follow, a silver-haired Russian with pretty blue eyes that could be an ax murderer dancing in his head.

*O*

AN: Ohmigosh, I'm so nervous! I hope you all liked this! This will eventually have smexy scenes, so hop over to my AO3 for those when they come up. (KuronekoHikage) Otherwise, please tell me what you think! -Bows- Thank you for reading!


	2. Day Two

Day Two

Yuuri rose early in the morning shortly after the sun fully rose over the horizon, though the trees were dense enough to block most of its light from reaching the cabin. Regardless if the sky was pitch black, or as bright as mid afternoon, his body was used to waking up this early. Dancing and exercising for an hour, sometimes two, before classes was routine for him, and if he wasn't busy with homework then he went back to the studios in the afternoons. It was a habitual lifestyle he could never shake off, even when his teachers had given him time off. Sleeping in was hard to do.

Waking up was easy, but physically getting out of bed was a completely separate struggle, and there were times on his days off when Yuuri failed to get out of his warm cocoon of blankets and pillows for anything. He would lay there for hours, his limbs as useful as boiled noodles, and he would only flex a finger muscle on his phone's screen to scroll through his social media. Sometimes Phichit joined him and they would cuddle while their friends entertained them, or watch anime, or the King and the Skater. Those memories made Yuuri feel terribly nostalgic.

Forcing himself to sit, he stretched any potential stiffness out his muscles and managed to pop a few of his joints. Immediately feeling better, he let his feet touch the cold, hardwood floor, ready to face whatever the morning threw at him. He still felt as if he were caught up in a dream with the entire cabin glowing in the blue morning light as he made his way downstairs. He made sure to pay careful attention to his feet so he didn't stub a toe or lose his balance. It was quiet, a relaxed stillness that wrapped around the cabin except for the birds chirping in the surrounding trees. Yuuri didn't want to disturb that quiet with heavy, bumbling footfalls.

A simple breakfast consisted of buttered toast and a small glass of orange juice while the coffee pot brewed something fresh, a local blend he found at a shop on the boardwalk. Yuuri took some time to stretch, to prepare his body to become limber, but the pungent smell of delicious coffee wouldn't let him get far, soon draped over the counter until it finished. He decided to enjoy his cup outside, taking it with him to the back seating area so he could admire the beautiful scenery. Yuuri sighed at the majestic sights of morning in the woods. It was relaxing. If this is what it was going to be like waking up every day while he was there, he was going to savor it.

Mari was just the opposite, a night owl who did not do mornings like her brother, instead choosing to sleep them away in her cave-like room. Phichit managed to get up in the mornings for classes along with Yuuri, but he was much like Mari until he could get a good cup of sugary, complicated caffeine in his system. It wasn't until he met Phichit's boyfriend that he met another person who always woke up early, and he made a mental not to send Chris a picture of the mountain at some point.

Yuuri took a sip of the deep roast, pulling his feet up so that his knees came up to chest, cradling his mug. People were always baffled at how Phichit and Chris managed to get together, they seemed like total opposites to the untrained eye, but Yuuri had been there from the beginning, when they first met, to their first date, and their first fight. He was almost there for the make-up sex if he hadn't excused himself, first. He knew things other people didn't, what circumstances were involved, he knew they were deeply into each other, the kind that was going to last a while if not the rest of their lives. He wished his friends happiness... as long as he got to be Phichit's Best Man at the wedding. The Thai man insisted it would be blasphemous to ask anyone else.

With his head fuzzy from his current tranquility, and the coffee keeping his body from falling back into sleep, he was in the middle of thinking up catchy wedding themes when his phone started to go off. Grabbing it from where it was face down on the table, he looked at the Skype notification before instantly accepting his sister's call. She was either being impatient or business had slowed, and considering it was around eight or nine over there he guessed the latter.

He smiled as his sister came to life on his screen, laid back and smoking by her bedroom's window. "Good evening, Mari-nee-san."

She smiled back at him. "Good morning, Yuu-kun. How was your first night out there?"

"How to put a long story short..." He thought about his adventure with the cabin's interior, going out to the Boardwalk for shopping, meeting the mysterious Viktor Nikiforov. "Um, 'interesting' is the best that I can come up with right now."

"Oh?" She was the perfect picture of relaxed, but there was a spark of curiosity in her tone that he instantly recognized. She was going to demand details.

"Yes. It's a bit more complicated than that, but I'm only on my first cup of coffee." He pointedly took a sip from his cup. It was still hot, no longer ready to burn his tongue but not anywhere near lukewarm. He took a larger gulp to relish in it.

She laughed. "That's alright. Show me around the cabin? I'm excited to see it."

Happy to indulge her request so he could procrastinate further, Yuuri got to his feet and started showing her around the back porch and the path that connected it to the treeline. "I haven't explored that area, yet, but it's on the itinerary for this morning."

"Ah, how nostalgic. It makes me think of the adventures we went on as kids."

Yuuri chuckled as he made his way inside. "But the city and woods are two different landscapes. Good thing I brought good boots."

He showed off the inside, the hardwood floors that ran through every part of the cabin except for the tile in the kitchen and bathroom, the coziness of the living room as he told her that if she had come with him, she would have no trouble sleeping on it, it was that comfy. Mari told him not to make assumptions about who would get the bed, which led him up the spiral stairs to the bedroom. After showing her the massively comfortable bed, she became more adamant about it.

"Nope. It's done. I call dibs on that bed, regardless if you're with me or not. We are keeping this cabin, and I am claiming that space."

Yuuri laughed. "I've already slept in it. You can't claim it if I already have."

"You don't get a say. I'm the older sibling." She lazily stomped her foot for good measure.

"I'll fight you tooth and nail," he said, giving her a pointed look, one that she had no trouble returning.

"I know where all your ticklish spots are!"

Yuuri paled at that. "You wouldn't," he demanded with a somewhat-serious tone, causing her to narrow her eyes and smirk.

"You know damn well that I would."

He gasped. "You fiend! You're no sister of mine!"

She blew a raspberry at him and snickered. "Deny it all you want, baby bro. Won't change the fact that we're related, though." She leaned back against the wall, satisfied that she had won their little bout. Yuuri didn't get a chance to defend himself, though, as she immediately launched into her next question. "So... Tell me what happened last night?" And there it was.

Sighing, Yuuri set his empty coffee mug on the end table, letting his body deflate onto the bed. "You're persistent."

"I am. I want to know what happened to my brother. I want to make sure you're safe and that you are okay. Is that so wrong?" He shook his head. Of course it wasn't wrong, but he also didn't know how to bring Viktor up to her in casual conversation. "So tell me, what's going on up there? No one's throwing you shade for your nationality, are they?"

He shook his head. "Actually, the town I went to was very welcoming. There's a town between the city with the airport and the cabin that is Hasetsu's size I haven't explored yet, but last night I went to the one in the opposite direction. It was twice the size, and their boardwalk of shops constantly draws a crowd from neighboring small towns. It's their main thoroughfare, I think. It was gorgeous."

"Oh? What do they have there that's so special?"

"Local things, mostly," he said, moving to lay down the rest of the way on the bed. His sister's annoyance went unnoticed as he remember the shops from last night. "Bookstores, cafes, art galleries. There's actually a Japanese family here that own a sweets shop. I told them I would talk with them at length later, and they promised me a story of their own."

Her expression grew soft. "Do you think you will be able to handle it?" Her concern was touching and he sent her a reassuring smile.

"I'll be okay. Oh, but Mari-nee-chan, I wish you could taste some of their stuff! It reminded me so much of home..." The last part he said with a sigh of content, causing her to laugh.

"I know it's too soon to tell, but now I really want to keep that cabin. There's much to go through, though, so I won't make any decision without you."

"Thank you," he said, genuinely glad that his sister cared about his opinion on the matter. "And to show my gratitude, I bought souvenirs for everyone back home!"

She pulled a disgruntled face. "The triples, too?"

"Yes." She whined. "Don't be a pest. I'll ship the package within the next couple of days."

Mari ran a hand through her hair as she scowled. "They'll never let me hear the end of it..."

Unsure of what she meant by that, he opened his mouth to question her, but a different thought entered his head, a question he felt ready and brave enough to ask. He put his sister's crazy shenanigans to the side for later scrutiny. "Hey, Mari." His tone, something unidentifiable even to his own ears, made her look back to the phone. "Have you ever heard of a man named Viktor Nikiforov?"

Her face scrunched up in confusion as she thought for a moment, but then shook her head. "I don't think I've ever heard that name before... Sounds Russian, though."

He had to concentrate to keep himself from sighing dreamily. "He is. Profoundly so." She lifted an eyebrow at that, but he ignored it. "I met him last night at the boardwalk. He's... kind of weird."

A laugh bubbled out of her, causing him to flush. "You're no social butterfly, Yuu-kun."

"I know that! But... He said he knew our parents."

Mari stopped laughing, frowning slightly. "That's odd. They never mentioned him before. I would have remember with a name like that."

Yuuri hummed in agreement. Their parents were hospitable people, they remembered a person's face after just one glance; it was a trait that Mari picked up and Yuuri struggled with. When the family got together, they always talked about new people they've met, the places they've been, the things they've done. And with someone as significant as Viktor, who claims to have been close with them, his parents would've been gushing about him nonstop.

"I don't recall them talking about him, either," he said, sighing in defeat. "I hoped at least you might have heard it in passing."

She shook her head. "The only Russian thing I remember mom saying is how I've grown into Vasilissa the Beautiful." Yuuri's mind instantly flashed back to the paintings he saw last night right before he and Viktor met. "She said it was a girl from Russian folklore, but didn't mention anything about it after that. I was mildly perturbed enough to read up on her before convincing myself mom was just being mom."

"Strange, that they would keep quiet about someone like him."

"Oh?" Her voice and face showed keen interest, now. "Someone like him? What's he like?"

"Silver hair, blue eyes. Nice cheekbones, too."

Mari shot him a flirtatious look. "Handsome?"

Yuuri laughed. "He's gorgeous!"

She squinted at him in suspicion. "He's not an ax murderer, is he?"

He slapped his free hand against his face in exasperation, his palm pressing against his nose and tilting his glasses. "Mari, be reasonable!" Though he thought the same thing, but he wasn't going to mention that. Instead, he tried to focus on the dread of the upcoming lunch date rolling around in his stomach. "He invited me out to talk this afternoon, but I still haven't given him my answer."

Cackling, Mari fell over, laying on the floor and slapping her hand against the tatami mat. "Oh, little brother, you are too much," she said as she wiped her eyes, and Yuuri briefly squashed the need to stomp away from his phone. He wasn't a child, he wasn't a child, he wasn't childish... "Just go! If he's given you his address, I'm pretty sure it's an open invitation."

"No, just a card with his number on it. I think he's a bit of a hermit. He paints, though. His work is pretty impressive."

Mari waved him off. "Then call him! It's as easy as that!"

He frowned, still worried and anxious. "But, Mari-nee-san, what if he's the reason they never mentioned this place?"

She smirked. "You mean what if he really is an ax murderer?"

He scowled at her as she laughed. "I'm serious, Nee-san!"

She shrugged as she lit another cigarette. "Still go. This is a big opportunity, Yuuri. Don't let it pass by!" Yuuri was confused at her choice of words. Opportunity for what? He voiced as much, hoping she would clarify. "What I mean, is... This is your chance to get a look at someone else's point of view. This Viktor guy might be the key to finding out what kept mom and dad from talking about that cabin. Also, this is a chance for you to make a connection. To the cabin, the towns, or the people, I don't know. But I do know that this is something good. It has to be!"

Yuuri was still doubtful, and his face showed as much, but he tried to believe that what she said had some merit to it. She was his older sister, someone who was there to support him and give him the advice he needed to continue. "I guess..."

"Don't worry, Yuuri. If he tries anything without your express approval, you have my permission to get violent." She then pointed at the screen. "And if I don't hear from you or get a text message at least saying you're okay, then I'm taking the next flight over there. Then I'LL get violent. You got me?"

Feeling the familiar, conflicting emotions of fondness and annoyance at her over-protectiveness, he gifted her with a shy smile. "I got you."

"Good. I have to run along, now, but you take care of yourself. I mean it, kid."

"I'm not a kid anymore."

"I don't give a shit. You will always be my kid brother."

Smiling and sending her off with a wave, Yuuri waited until the connection ended before deflating, flopping both arms onto the bed as he let out a suffered breath. He thought briefly about calling Phichit and double checking with him, but the little voice inside his head that sounded just like the Thai man stated he would agree with her. Phichit wouldn't even have to know Mari even said anything in order for him to tell Yuuri to go through with it, though he might offer to be there for moral support. He would probably want to throw a party, too. He would bring Chris, possibly Leo, and wherever Leo went Guang Hong wasn't far behind, not to mention Minami. Yuuri selfishly didn't want anyone here aside from Mari, he had to go through this alone.

Another cup of coffee was calling to him by the time he pushed himself off the bed and he went to go refresh his mug. He would normally go to the ice rink or to the dance studio in order to clear his head, but he didn't have either amenities at his disposal, nor did he know the area around the cabin very well for a run. He glanced at the clock, still having a few hours before noon, though he didn't know what time Viktor usually ate lunch so it could be sooner or later. Exploration through the woods seemed to be a wonderful distraction.

Locking the back door more out of habit rather than necessity, Yuuri kept his mug close as he slowly started to make his way across the backyard's path. He wondered if his parents ever got lost in these woods, encountered the wildlife, made friends other people that might also live around here. His father had a tendency to get lost constantly, his mother much better with her sense of direction. Yuuri had no doubt that, if attacked, his father a good shot. Mari took after him with that. Yuri was more physical, though, and took after his mother being able to defend himself with martial arts, including a nasty right hook. No city was void of violence.

Just beyond the treeline the path dropped off into a set of stone stairs and a thin railing. Yuuri ran his fingers along the moss-covered stones, taking his time to feel their soft and spongy texture, intermittently disrupted by harsh, weathered rock. There was a pleasant chill in the air and he pulled his sweater a little tighter around him as he made his way to the bottom of the drop off. What he met was met with was more trees, growing sparse as the creek in front of the house had morphed, or melded into something wider and larger.

Yuuri slowly inhaled, his eyes drifting shut as the intense smell of nature filled a pleasant space in his head. He couldn't blame his parents for wanting to build a place here, it was so relaxing in a way that was different from the onsen.

He crossed a wooden bridge to the other side, following the the flow of water as it became a steady river. Boulders and rock ledges popped out of the ground and he couldn't resist hopping onto them, mind completely void of thoughts except for the distance of the next rock. The river carved a path downhill, sometimes almost deafening as it drowned out the rest of the forest, but it eventually calmed into an almost glassy surface as it snaked its way around the base of the mountain.

Exhilarated from playing, something he hadn't done in ages, Yuuri sat on a rock shelf jutting out into the river and took off his shoes to soak his feet in the cold water. He leaned back on his palms while gazing at the scenery. The Katsuki's personal playground. Yuuri had to admit he could get used to this. The sky was clear, trees and rocks in picturesque formations as the river reflected the calm weather. Birds flew overhead, fish swam around his feet, and mountain goats grazed as they traversed a cliff across from him. Yuuri watched them for a little while, completely in awe of their climbing abilities, until he let himself ease backward as the morning's sun beat down on him. It felt great, and he let his mind drift.

This would be in pros list of keeping the cabin and he made a mental promise to send Mari some pictures. They wouldn't keep it as a regular home, but somewhere to vacation and invite family and friends to. It was sure to be a great experience once the thought of his parents' death didn't make him cry every five minutes.

Then there's Viktor whose invitation was still rattling around in his head. He could still accept it, all he had to do was make a phone call, but he had left his phone and mug by the bridge so he could give himself time to think about it. The Japanese family and Viktor were the only people he hadn't rejected outright; he already knew why he wanted to talk to the former, similar heritage and cultural influences would bring interesting stories between them to compare. Viktor required more brain power.

" _Baaa_..."

Frowning at the sudden interruption, Yuuri opened his eyes and looked toward the braying of a baby goat. An adult was munching on some grass further up, but allowed it's baby to get closer to him. He turned his head fully towards his new visitor, who was staring at the man as if he were a new potential playmate. Or he was looking for food, he wasn't quite sure. He didn't know much about goats.

He gave the creature a small smile. "Hello, there." It didn't say anything back, merely staring at him as it swished its head back and forth, which made him all the more cuter. He wished he hadn't left his phone back at the bridge, now, because he really wanted a picture. "I'm Yuuri. It's nice to meet you," he said conversationally as he slowly lifted himself up into a sitting position. The baby goat backed off, skittish at the sudden movement, but it didn't trot away completely.

They sat in silence, the goat stepping around and occasionally nipping at grass as it continued to regard the Japanese man with its square pupils until he spoke again. "You are very adorable." Despite a lack of understanding the human language, it looked like it was preening. "Too bad you're wild, I would take you home in a heartbeat." A sudden memory made him chuckle. "Actually, it's best not to. Phichit would want to give you nothing but treats and dress you up in pajamas. I've seen the videos."

" _Baaa_..."

Yuuri found himself nodding along before he could catch himself. "I know, I know. While I'm sure it would've been very cute, you have no need for such frivolous fashion. I barely tolerated it with Vicchan." It stomped its feet in play as he agreed with it, reaching down to much on some moss the next rock over. He chuckled. "Maybe that's what I should name you. Vicchan."

The little thing ignored him as its strong jaw pulled at the wet moss, the long tendrils catching its teeth as it was ripped away from the rock. A little fascinated, Yuuri kept watch over the baby mountain goat as it ate and drank from the river until his own stomach rumbled, causing the newly named baby to flick an ear at him. Yuuri blushed, uselessly embarrassed, and the following apology auttomatic.

"Sorry. I guess I should eat lunch, too." Though therein lies the problem, of where he was going to eat it. "Hmm... But as tasty as that moss looks, I'm not one for munching only on greens."

" _Baaa_ ," replied Vicchan, causing Yuuri to laugh.

"Don't worry, I won't eat you. My dilemma is more along the lines of _who_ I eat with. Not quite sure what to do, there." The goat didn't say anything back, merely flicking another ear at him before chewing on the moss again. Yuuri sighed, staring down at his own hands in his lap. "I want to accept his request, I really do. But something seems off with him, and maybe it's because he might be just as awkward as me, but I feel that it's more than that. It has to be."

Yuuri rested his back and head against the rock again, utterly lost in the push and pull of Viktor's charisma. Although he had a certain charm about him, it came off as... How to say... Fake but real? Insincere but genuine? Bland but as complicated as a layered onion? For all the English he knew, he couldn't quite put a finger on the right one. He didn't know the Russian man enough to really tell, another problem. If they got to know each other, then that would create an opening, a weakness, a perfect chance for ax murderers to slip in and do their worst before offing their victims-

-and what the hell was he thinking?!

He lifted his hands to his face and moaned into them. "I'm so ridiculous!"

" _Baaa_." Startled, Yuuri looked over to his animal friend as it laid down, tucking its hooves under its body as it studied Yuuri. For a moment the young man had a brief glimpse of Phichit, the Thai man sitting next to him in much the same manner, a look of "tell me your woes" on his face. It seems he and this goat were on the same mental wavelength, as the creature settled in for the long haul and resigned his time to Yuuri's depression. As if to say "so tell me about him" in Phichit's place. It made him chuckle.

Not quite sure where to start, he defaulted to something that was undeniable and he knew without a doubt. "He's hot." A small blush crept up his neck as he finally admitted the truth out loud, but he refused to clam up now. "I mean, his silver hair is _natural_ , because I seriously doubt he's even thirty yet, he definitely doesn't look it. And let's talk about his eyes, shall we? They're piercing, they're mysterious, and melt with emotion, but I bet they could cut through anything..."

The goat was still silent and Yuuri took that as motivation to continue. "I admit that he's, in a way like no one else I've ever met, weird. And I don't mean that in a bad way, it's a good weird! He's kinda eccentric and mysterious and I really want to know more about him, but I don't know what it is that's bugging me about him."

" _Baaa_."

"I know! I have it bad, but what if he has an ax hiding in his house and he's waiting for the right time to use it? Can I really trust that there's no hidden agenda with him?"

" _Baaa_."

Yuuri scoffed. "What, you think I'm being ridiculous, too? Sounds like something Phichit would say. You don't even know him and you're already taking his side?" Why was he annoyed with a goat? He shouldn't be, but something in its mannerisms were really getting on his nerves. He turned accusing eyes on Vicchan as the goat flicked an ear at him before turning away to look back at its mother. Or father. Yuuri couldn't tell and in the blaze of his ranting he didn't care. "Maybe I _should_ bring you to Detroit with me, after all."

It was quiet for a moment as goat and human sized each other up until the former started rising to its feet, as if it was done done with Yuuri's selfishness. A mixed response of "well, that's all I got," "good luck, human," and "I need a drink" popping in the dansuer's head at the movement. He threw up his arms in a fit of frustration.

"I'm sorry! No, I don't really mean that. Trust me, I'm not usually that vindictive of a person." Yuuri sighed as he ran a hand through his bangs, absently noting the need for a hair cut. "Why does he make me feel all messed up inside? Really... I'm an adult, I should have more control than this. It's worse because it involves my parents' death, he sneaks through and festers in my head and I have no idea what to do. It feels wrong to think about him and it makes me want to scream at the top of my lungs in irritation."

The goat didn't say anything, standing in place as it evaluated Yuuri's dissatisfaction. It caused the young man to sigh again, and he started to wonder how many times he was going to do so whenever if came to the extreme oddity that was Viktor Nikiforov. "I should really accept his invitation, if not because he's really hot and alluring, but for the sake of mom and dad. They knew him, so that has to account for something, right?"

" _Baaa_." Vicchan scampered off towards the mountain goat and went to graze on that same patch of grass, effectively ending their therapy session for today now that Yuuri had come to a decision.

That encounter had been... strangely gratifying as Yuuri was now finding a sense of peace within himself. Despite being afraid, immersed in guilt, pain and grief, he decided to give Viktor an opportunity to be honest and open up; it was something that Yuuri wasn't good at, but if Viktor really was well-acquainted with the Katsukis, then he deserved the same respect from their son.

He wasn't sure what time it was when he finally stood up, but he hoped he wasn't too late to accept the man's invitation. All he had said was lunch, he didn't say what time, so he hoped that Viktor didn't make any specific reservations. He waved good-bye to Vicchan and the larger one(the adult who he decided to name Onigiri) and made his way back. Carefully, he traced his footsteps back to the bridge, jumping the rocks he remembered on the way there. He spotted his cell phone and mug resting exactly where he put them in the cradle of a nearby tree trunk, and he was grateful that nothing made off with either of them.

Yuuri scooped up his phone and looked at the time, noting that noon was still a couple hours away. He should call him, the card was still in the jeans he wore last night. Nothing to it, right? Just get the card, punch in the number, say he'll join him, pick a place to meet, and that will be that. But as he was running up the steps he found himself stumbling inside, still nervous about the whole conversation that they were going to have, his anxiety toying with his stomach. Viktor might have been slightly awkward when they first met, but he handled everything without losing control of his emotions, something Yuuri was very bad at, and he worried he might say the wrong thing.

Viktor wasn't exactly normal, though. Not just his looks, but his mannerisms and words were just slightly off. Yuuri supposed he was worrying a bit too much since would find out more about him during lunch. He was going to have lunch with a man he was attracted to, who he barely knew but had a chance to know, who knew his parents and could potentially be a friend in his time of need. Ax murdering aside, it was completely rational for him to be a source of comfort considering their common connections.

Still jittery with nerves, he searched his pants pocket once he got back into the cabin, finding the card right where he left it. Before he could talk himself out of it and into another round of suspicion and anxiety, he punched the number into his phone, saving it as a contact. Here goes nothing, and possibly everything. He tapped the call icon before insecurity sagged him onto the edge of the bed.

It rang once, twice, three times, and with every additional ring Yuuri felt his heart grow heavy with disappointment that he might have messed things up, until his call was finally answered on the last ring, saving Yuuri from having to leave an awkward voicemail.

"Hello, Nikiforov speaking."

Yuuri held in a sigh as the man's pleasant voice. "H-hi," he said, his nerves causing him to stutter. "It's Yuuri."

Viktor sighed pleasantly. "Ah, yes. The dark swan with an elegant jaw from last night." Yuuri blushed. Hard. "I was hoping to hear from you soon. To what do I owe such pleasure? Have you considered my offer of lunch?"

At first he nodded, but then realized that Viktor couldn't see him and swallowed the lump forming in his throat. "Ah... Yeah. I accept your offer."

There was a cheerful exclamation on the other end. "Wonderful! I'm so glad to hear that!" His excitement was hard for Yuuri to miss. "How about one o'clock?"

"That's... fine! That sounds fine. Which restaurant?"

"Oh, just let me know when you're ready and I will give you my address," came the delighted response, and Yuuri started to freak out. "I assure you my culinary skills are quite adequate. Have you ever had Russian food, мой лебедь?"

He wasn't sure what to say, blindsided by the fact that Viktor wanted to cook for him, he wanted to accept but also thought it a bit inappropriate. He's never had Russian food before, not even here in the states, so he couldn't say he had, but what Viktor was asking him almost sounded as if it were a date. The blush grew hotter when he realized the place didn't matter, a lunch date was just that. Embarrassed and curious and knowing Viktor was waiting.

Silent during his mini heart attack, he stammered. "I, uh... No, but... Um, are you sure that's okay?" That's right, Katsuki, rely on polite, Japanese upbringing. "I-I wouldn't want to impose..."

The reply was immediate. "I am offering. It will be my honor. Oh! Do you have any allergies?" Yuuri vocalized a negative. "Excellent. Here, my address..." Scrambling to find a writing utensil, Yuuri wrote down what Viktor said on the back of his card. "You can't miss it, it is off a road not quite a mile away from your cabin, just look for a stone driveway. It will be the first left turn."

Yuuri thought for a moment, trying to recall another road. It must've been beyond where the creek and road crossed, but he couldn't remember for the life of him. He'd probably been too worked up over getting to the cabin and trying to calm his nerves with Mari on the phone to notice. "I'm sure I'll be able to find it," he responded, a bit distracted.

There was a quiet chuckle that sent tiny shivers across Yuuri's ear."Da. Please call me if you need anything until then."

"Sure... See you then."

Viktor's voice got low an sultry. "I look forward to it." There was no time for Yuuri to process and respond, the phone cut off as the man hung up after that. Eventually, though, the blush crept up his neck and colored his ears, though he refused to let it reach his cheeks.

Looking at the clock told him he had another two hours before he had to leave. There were several things he could do until then. Refusing to think about anything else, he dived into the cabin's nooks and crannies starting with the living room. The coffee table in the middle of the room, surrounded by the comfy chairs and the sectional, was a solid block of polished oak that doubled as storage. He found a small indent that allowed him to lift the lid without too much effort. Inside was a large, blue quilt and a matching square pillow. Under them he found four books: an American classic, an embarrassing romance novel, a modern Japanese mystery, and an instruction book for knitting, which explained the knitting needles buried in a half-done pile of yarn.

Yuuri pulled them all out, including the knitting which was taking the shape of a giant onigiri. Yuuri never learned any form of knitting, but Mari did. She had learned when she was a child but deemed it uncool growing up, so she didn't do it very often. However, she'd knitted him a blanket when he first went to Detroit, so it's not like she completely cast the skill aside. Perhaps, if Yuuri asked her politely, he could get her to finish this. It would be something to look forward to.

With a silent promise to cuddle up with the blanket and read the books later, he put them all back in the chest and went to the closet, which was something much larger to tackle. Many things were piled up on the shelve and hanging on the walls, boxes stacked in the free space in between. There was no space for him to go in, so he thought up a plan of attack. Get rid of the stuff in the middle first, then the stuff hanging on the sides, and then the overflowing shelves. If he ended up as a casualty due to an avalanche of things falling onto him... He took a picture of the disaster and sent it to Mari, telling her that if she didn't hear from him the next day it was probably because of this. Her response was a gif that was waving good-bye. The cheeky brat.

He only got through a few of the boxes before he had to get ready and leave for Viktor's place, both dread and excitement still present. He changed into jeans and a blue shirt, because his dusty pajamas weren't flattering at all. Brushing his hair and freshly applying his deodorant, he locked the place up once more before heading toward his car. He didn't bother cleaning up the mess in the living room, knowing it was pointless. There was more closet to get through, and he wasn't willing to put in so much work just to have it get dirty again.

It was not hard to find Viktor's place, so when Yuuri pulled up to a cottage only slightly larger than his own, he allowed himself a moment or two to get his mental state in check. The stone driveway led to the side of the house and something he didn't expect. Would Viktor really own a pink convertible? He didn't have long to find out as Viktor himself stepped out the front door to greet him.

Hurrying to get out of his car so as not to appear rudely stalling, he closed the door to his rental and met him halfway up the path. Viktor was in what looked to be comfortable clothes, a dark blue turtleneck and a pair of light, fitted khakis. Yuuri almost feels overdressed.

"Здравствуйте, Katsuki Yuuri! Welcome to my home." His face was lit up with a pleasant smile, honesty set in the vivid blue of his eye as they attached to Yuuri's. It kind of made him a little weak in the knees to have someone as handsome as Viktor staring at him like that. It was attention he wasn't used to and he felt himself just as unbalanced as last night when he first met him.

"Thank you," he said, careful to keep his voice from wavering as he tried to get a hold of himself. "Though I had my doubts about coming here."

"Oh?"

"I even went as far as convincing myself you were an ax murderer."

He chuckled. "I'm glad you decided not to... what is the euphemism... 'blow me off'?" Yuuri felt himself chuckle as well, politely hiding it behind a hand as Viktor started to lead him up the brick pathway to the house. "'Cut me out?'" That earned more giggles. Slightly more relaxed that when he first pulled in, Yuuri followed without hesitation. Perhaps this visit won't be as bad as he imagined. "Did you have any trouble getting here?"

"No. The directions were easy to follow."

As they reached the porch, Viktor turned around to give him another pleased smile. "That is good to hear." He twisted the handle and pushed open the door. "Please," he said as he gestured for him to go first, "come inside."

Even the past few years here in America could not shake the polite manners he was instilled with as a child, and so with a the upbringing his parents drove into him, he gave Viktor a slight bow, tilting his upper body downward by the waist in a sign of respect. "Thank you for having me."

His Russian host looked absolutely delighted, holding a hand in front of his chin and unable to keep his smile off his face and demurely reciprocated the bow. Viktor couldn't say he knew much about Japanese pleasantries, but knowing his parents certainly taught him the basics. Once they were both inside Viktor gave Yuuri a pair of slippers to change into, noting belatedly that they were the same pair Toshiya wore whenever he and Hiroko visited. Yuuri remained oblivious as he accepted the slippers and put them on without a second thought. Viktor watched him as he wandered around the plush leather furnishings of his living room.

With Viktor's nod of approval for him to explore, Yuuri went to inspect the fireplace's mantle while Viktor went to the kitchen. He found books, trinkets and photos that piqued his interest. The books were held together by a couple of geode bookends, the titles in Russian so there was no possible way for him to be able to read their contents. The trinkets were intricately carved wooden animals, special stains and varnishes coloring feet, tails and ears of foxes, wolves and cougars.

Then there were the photos, framed similarly, but spread out on full display. The one nearest the set of books looked to be of a couple. A woman sat in a chair in a beautiful blue dress, her silver hair perfect while her icy gray eyes bore into the camera lens. The man behind her was just as fierce, his striking blue eyes piercing and blond hair styled short like Viktor's. His parents, then. Yuuri wondered what they were like, definitely a force to be reckoned with, it was undeniable with their posture. He was interested to find out who Viktor took after, but he didn't bring it up in case they might be a sore subject.

Depressed and wanting nothing more than to cry all over again, he moved on. The next picture was of a brown poodle. It was in mid stride and almost blurry, partially due to the water spraying forth from the camera. This must have been Viktor's pet, and Yuuri ruefully thought of Vicchan. The feel of his throat closing up on him had him hurry to the last photo so he could attempt to keep his composure, but what he saw made it even worse and his breath verbally hitched.

There, staring back at him, was Hiroko and Toshiya Katsuki, next to a large gray wolf with bright blue eyes, with loving smiles on their faces. It was a photo Yuuri didn't recognize and saw Viktor's house in the background upon closer inspection. His hands started shaking, his eyes burning with tears, and the wellspring of emotion was clawing at the vulnerability of his throat. He failed to control all three., and now he was just a mess of a person, standing in a strange home, going through his normal grieving reaction because of a picture. He must have made a pretty terrible picture. First he had yelled at Viktor on their meeting, and now Yuuri was having an ugly cry in the middle of his living room.

"Hey." The gentle call brought Yuuri out of his inner turmoil, the volume small and soft but commanding his attention immediately. His vision became crystal clear as he met Viktor's worried face. His shaking calmed as a pale hand touched his shoulder. "Will you be okay?"

Yuuri shook his head, touching his temple with a careful press of his fingers. "I'm not quite sure, yet."

"I'll answer everything you want to know." That soothing voice relaxed his tense body.

Yuuri smiled at his generous honesty. "Thank you."

Viktor patted his shoulder. "Come sit down to lunch, then? Everything has been prepared."

He didn't think he could eat in this state, but it would be very rude to decline when it was partly why he was visiting Viktor in the first place. "Okay."

"Very well." The Russian man led Yuuri over to the table, the dining room separating the living room and kitchen with an open archway. "Here is lunch. Pelmeni are dumplings with various fillings, but I went light for this occasion. They are beef, onion and pepper. There is also green beans, broccoli and cauliflower steamed in lemon water, and an old Pilaf recipe with diced onions and mushrooms. I hope it is to your liking."

"It sounds impressive."

On the table was a tray of said dumplings surrounding a bowl of what looked to be sour cream There were also several bowls around it full of tomato sauce, melted butter, and mustard. Rice was in a white, square baking dish to one side, and the vegetables were in a glass bowl. It looked good and he could feel his mouth watering. Viktor had set their places with plates and cutlery, and tall glasses with ice.

"What would you like to drink," he asked as he put serving spoons into the dishes and tongs for the pelmeni.

"Water is fine."

Viktor nodded and gestured to the table as he went to fill his glass. "Please help yourself."

Lunch lapsed into silence, broken only by Yuuri telling Viktor how delicious everything was. Words were scarce as Viktor waited for questions and Yuuri had too many to know where to start. How did they meet? Did they treat him like a son? Why was he so handsome?

Yuuri blushed slightly in embarrassment, both from his one-sided awkward silence and from his own thoughts. Viktor was not an ugly man, one might say otherworldly, even, but Yuuri couldn't allow himself to get distracted by his pretty face, not until he figured out who this man was and why he was such a stranger to the rest of the Katsukis. Waiting until he finished his pelmeni to actually say anything, Yuuri did not want to say the first things that came to mind. After going all weird because of the picture on the mantle, he didn't want Viktor to think-

The picture. Not ideal, but it's a start. "Um..." Viktor looked up, attentive as soon as Yuuri made the small utterance, and the Japanese man felt a bit flustered with his eyes all over again. "The picture in the living room..."

The Russian man smiled softly at him, his tone matching. "You mean of Hiroko and Toshiya?" Yuuri nodded. "Never seen that picture before?"

Yuuri shook his head. "It's a feeling I'm trying to get used to. Everything is brand new here, I never knew my parents when they came here. But I hope to at some point. Do you... have a copy of that picture?"

Viktor didn't say anything at first, a blank expression carefully painting hidden feelings in the contours of his face, and a bit of trepidation settled over Yuuri's nerves with his lack of response. Did he say something rude? Was it his only picture of them? Realization struck and Yuuri started to stutter out an apology.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to-" Viktor finally stood up, effectively cutting him off. "Viktor?"

His attempt to reconcile went ignored as the taller man walked into the living room, leaving Yuuri alone at the table. There weren't any sounds other than his shuffling, and for a moment Yuuri didn't think he would return. Just when he thought he should stand and follow him to try to apologize again, Viktor came back with said picture frame in his hands. Yuuri saw the sadness seep into those blue eyes, the same kind he'd been succumbing to since the day of the accident. Viktor had caught on to what he had trouble saying last night, and Yuuri was an idiot to think that Viktor wasn't grieving just as much as him. It made him all the more embarrassed and guilty for his yelling.

After a few more moments, Viktor finally brought himself out of it, sat in his chair, and handed the picture frame over to Yuuri. "Go ahead and keep it."

Yuuri's eyes grew wide. "But this one's yours!" He didn't want to take his only copy, that was not why he had asked for it.

"I have many other pictures of them," he responded, taking a couple more pelmeni onto his plate.

"But this was on display. It must mean something to you."

"It is a worldly possession. I can always put a new one up."

"But Viktor-"

"Stop." Yuuri closed his mouth as Viktor gave him a sharp look. "You are their son. You should have it. No more arguing." Yuuri was still unsure, but then all thought left him as Viktor laid a gentle hand on his wrist. "Please. Take it."

Yuuri sighed in defeat. "Well... If you insist."

"I do."

With that note of finality, Yuuri conceded to the man's insistence and propped the picture up on his other side. He took his time in studying every detail while Viktor ate, giving himself more time to speak up again. "How did you meet them?"

Viktor acquired a fond smile as he brought his glass to his lips. Yuuri could almost see that memory race across his mind. "Ah... That is a complicated question. I supposed you could say I met them before they met me. I can't put it any other way than that."

"That's... confusing," Yuuri said, making Viktor chuckle.

"I suppose it is. I met Hiroko in this very forest, lost on their first trip here, and I led her back to the main road. We didn't exchange proper greetings until much later." His mother, lost? No way. "She has good senses, she didn't object once when I steered her a certain direction."

"Did you call her a swan, too?"

Viktor laughed, "No, мой лебедь, only you get the honor of that."

Yuuri snorted. "Aren't I special..."

Viktor leaned over the table, resting his chin in his hand, which was propped up by his elbow. "Indeed, you are. I can't help but find you extremely fascinating. To paint you would be an honor." He gave the Japanese man an alluring smirk and delighted when he caused him to blush heatedly.

"I... not really!" Yuuri's heart leapt into his throat, causing him to stutter over his words. Viktor laughed at his flustered state, patting the back of his hand.

"Even more so when you look like that." And when Yuuri went to duck his head and look away to hide his face, Viktor would none of that. Lightning quick, his hand shot out and firmly grasped Yuuri's chin, forcing him to look his way with no escape. "I will tell you something about myself that people know me for. I don't give compliments away unless I mean them, so I encourage you to assume the true when I say them." He let go of his jaw, lightly trailing a fingernail down his cheek and under his jaw, Yuuri too enamored to want to move away. "You are special. I feel myself drawn to you. You are a swan. If everyone in the town were to put a paper bag over their head, I would still recognize the way you move. Graceful, set to your own music. If I were to say that I would love to draw you, it is the truth. I want to capture you however which way I can."

The alluring things Viktor was saying had Yuuri's head spinning so fast that he nearly blacked out. How could two people feel so identically about each other? Despite being a possibly dangerous stranger, Yuuri was completely overwhelmed with the mere thought of him. And although he may be a swan to the Russian, Yuuri could not describe Viktor in any other way than that of a wolf. His face could be cute, playful and charming one point, but then have the sharp, hungry look of a predator the next. Yuuri knew he could move like one, too, with the fast way he reached out and caught him, only to be gentle once more.

The taller man was waiting for Yuuri to say something back, whether it was affirmation to the way he felt, or to attack in anger, he seemed ready for Yuuri's onslaught of words with a determined face daring him to counter everything he just said. The Japanese man tried doing just that, several times swallowing to get his throat working enough to make the smallest of sounds, but Viktor's eyes had him trapped and all he could do was nod.

Viktor smiled, soft but with a knowing edge in the corners of his mouth. "Good." And he went back to eating what was left on his plate.

They finished lunch in this way, silent, Yuuri unable to keep control of his blush and stealing glances at Viktor while the other seemed unperturbed at Yuuri's trepidation. The young man did not gain any more courage to speak until Viktor set down dessert, which he described was a plate of three syrniki drizzled with strawberry kissel. Yuuri wanted to steer the conversation to a less intense subject.

"Those were interesting characters at the shop," he said, trying to keep a steady voice as those vivid blue eyes pierced him again. "Who are they? I know the Firebird from Swan Lake, but what about Baba Yaga and Vasi...Vasa..." He frowned trying to remember the name.

Viktor chuckled. "Vasilissa the Beautiful. They are from Russian folktales. Baba Yaga is the mother of the forest, takes the guise of an old hag and, if you are careful enough, might not eat you. There are many stories with Vasilissa and Ivan, as well as the appearance of a Firebird or wolf. Sometimes helpful, other times not. Inspirations from my home country help when I get stuck with art blocks."

Yuuri smiled. "Heh... Painter's block?"

Viktor smiled. "Of sorts. I'm sure it has happened once or twice to you when you dance?" Yuuri looked down at his half-eaten syrniki and nodded. "You are still in school, yes?"

"Last year, though I might have to repeat it after taking so much time off after what happened with my parents."

"My deepest apologies." Yuuri looked up at Viktor's saddened face. "I had no idea anything had happened to them until I saw you last night. May I ask how...?" He trailed off to let Yuuri decide if he was strong enough to tell him without breaking down again, but strangely enough the young man nodded his head as he calmly told Viktor about it.

"It was a car accident. Another car crashed into them."

"Under the influence?"

Yuuri nodded. "He lost his job, lost his girlfriend, and got evicted. He had nothing else to lose but his life, so he got inebriated, reckless, and took my parents with him." Yuuri swiped at a tear that had escaped the corner of his eye. "Sorry." He was trying to be brave and for the most part he felt okay talking about this, but that tear had crept out.

Viktor shook his head and left him another moment to fetch a box of tissues, lightly setting it down in front of him. "Do you hate him? The one who took your parents from you."

He nodded. "I do. I know I shouldn't be, and on some level I genuinely feel sad for his family since they lost someone, too. They're a nice bunch. But why did he have to drag other people with him? But my parents... Hell, if they had survived, then they probably would've offered the guy another job, even! It's utterly ridiculous how forgiving and gentle they are. I take after them more than Mari, rarely do I ever get angry."

Viktor scooted his chair over to him and placed a hand on each of his arms, which he only just realized were tense, his palms dented with nail marks. Slowly, he forced himself to relax. "The family doesn't deserve my anger. Neither do my parents. Being angry at a dead man doesn't accomplish much, either."

"But your are, in fact, angry, and you don't know what to do with it."

Viktor's guess wasn't a guess at all, it must've been painfully obvious, and Yuuri chuckled. "I took it out on you the other night. I'm sorry."

"It is alright. Your grief and anger are understandable. I felt the same when my parents were murdered."

Breathless, Yuuri gasped at him with wide eyes. " _Murdered_?" Yuuri never knew anyone in his life who were murdered, which took Viktor's experience up several hundred notches more than his own. He could never understand what it would be like to lose someone in that way, and it happened to this man's parents!

Silver strands whispered in the air as their owner nodded. "Yes, and the only reason I did not go with them was because of a fool's errand. Survivor's guilt is a real thing." He patted Yuuri's knee. "But that is a topic for another time, da? Have you finished?"

Yuuri still had two more bites left but he didn't feel like he could finish it. He let Viktor take his plate away, chasing his unsettled thoughts away with a sip of water. "Will you tell me soon?"

Viktor smiled tightly as he put the dishes with the rest next to the sink. "If you wish." Meaning that he really didn't want to, but he would for Yuuri's sake, and that made him feel as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He walked back over to him. "Should we make another appointment? perhaps breakfast tomorrow?"

Yuuri lifted an eyebrow. "An 'appointment'"

Viktor winked at him, holding out a hand to help him up. "Well, I could say it would be a date, but that would probably put me into the ax murdering category, yes?"

He laughed. "If the food is anything like lunch, then count me in!"

Smirking, he took hold of Yuuri's hand, delicately bringing his knuckles up to his face and delighting in Yuuri's flushed face. "Very well." He kissed them softly. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, then. Is nine an acceptable time?" Dazed, Yuuri managed a slight nod before Viktor pulled him gently out of his chair. "Then I will not keep you any longer. You must have things to take care of. I have monopolized enough of your time. We can sit and talk more tomorrow morning."

Yuuri nodded again as Viktor held out the picture and frame for him to take. "Thank you," he said, holding it to his chest.

"You are very welcome. Any time. I mean it." Yuuri smiled.

"Same to you."

Viktor walked them towards the exit. "I will walk you to your car."

Yuuri frowned. "That's not necessary, Viktor. It's daylight out and you can see my car from your house."

"Nonsense. There are many creeps and dangerous creatures in the forest. They do not wait for evening. A juicy morsel such as you would stand no chance."

Cheesy pick up line notwithstanding, he had a point. And well, he did live here, so he supposed he would know best. Yuuri gave in easily, this time. "Alright. Thank you."

His heartbeat did not slow down until he was in his car, backing out of Viktor's driveway, and completely out of sight. He passed the rest of the afternoon in a daze, even as he tried to sort through more of the closet, he wasn't having much luck. The picture of his parents and the wolf sat atop the kitchen counter and he felt his eyes drawn to it every now and then. He was like that for the entire evening, too, until his best friend called him. That was an interesting conversation, but it gave him something to focus on until he was tired enough to fall into a deep sleep.

Out in the distance, somewhere in the woods he had yet to traverse, a wolf howled.

*o*

Chapter two done! Sorry it took so long and thank you for sticking with me!


	3. Day Three

Day Three

For the third morning since his arrival, Yuuri's internal clock roused him from sleep just before sunrise, begging for a cup of local brew. Lured with the prospect of consuming his new favorite cup of Joe, he allowed his body to drag him still half asleep to the kitchen, amazed he didn't trip down any stairs; he didn't remember descending them.

It was another spectacular view this morning, as radiant as yesterday's with sunlight peeking above the treeline and stabbing the cabin with its beauty. He needed a picture. Once he had a full cup of coffee in his possession, he hastily rushed up to the bedroom's tiny balcony, where the view was the most precious, and swept his phone across the horizon, taking a panoramic photo of the scene. Knowing that Chris would be up at this time of morning, Yuuri sent the majestic sight to him along with the caption of "my current view," hoping to illicit a pang of jealousy from his fellow early bird. Sliding the phone into his pocket until he got a response, setting to vibrate so he would be be able respond quickly, Yuuri replaced the item with his coffee, leaning against the wooden railing to enjoy his piping hot beverage and to breathe in the fresh, cool air.

After getting home yesterday, the chore of going through the living room closet was a futile attempt to get Viktor out of his head. All he accomplished was a staring match with the cardboard shoe box in his lap, which he eventually lost and tossed it aside. Phichit had thankfully saved him the hassle of going through the motions of trying to act human, and while any other time he would have told his best friend to mind his own beeswax, he took the opportunity to fully dive into their conversation. He had a side mission to avoid any Viktor-related thoughts and feelings, but that was a miserable failure since Phichit picked up on his internal struggle and made him hash out both of their encounters the past two days, full details. There was a lot of embarrassment, anxiety and longing felt in that conversation, completely on Yuuri's end as he recalled all sorts of emotions, jutting up and down like a cliff's rocky shoreline. Before Phichit went into advice mode, he laughed at him because that's what extroverted best friends do when they hear their introverted friends are trying to socialize, then abruptly turned serious about spending time and getting to know Viktor more.

Yuuri sighed, his deflated frame hunching over the smooth wood railing. Phichit's advice had never once steered him wrong, his reassurances were always heartfelt and sincere, but this was a different situation from their normal night out. Boys night out consisted of alcohol, dancing and sex, usually in that order, but none of them ever made it past two nights let alone the boyfriend stage. Yuuri was going to need more than a glass of liquid courage for one night out and of a round of passion. Viktor Nikiforov was a family friend and nothing like the men who asked him back to their dorms. Phichit told him that if he wanted him he should go after him, a simplified statement to a complicated circumstance. Phichit didn't know the whole story. Yuuri told him what he had learned, but his friend wasn't here physically to catch on the the tiny details. Viktor's details, ones he and his parents kept secret from him and Mari for reason Viktor wasn't telling him. Yet. He may not be outright lying to him, but he was hiding something, and he was going to find out.

The buzz in his pocket went off and Yuuri reached for the device with renewed vigor. Chris had sent a picture in response, and when he viewed the image, a small snort of laughter almost cause coffee to fly out of his nose. The image was of Phichit, passed out on his bed, limbs everywhere and a small line of drool connected to the pillow. It was perfect blackmail material, and Yuuri wasted no time in asking Chris if he could use it as such. A second later, Chris replied with a simple "yes." Phichit's doom was at hand.

Conspiring with the Swiss man while he did his morning stretches and exercises was sort of nostalgic for Yuuri as they used to do these every morning alongside a short run through the nearby park. Phichit not so much, preferring to keep his body just as it was by doing nothing, something that irked bot friend and lover. He went partying all night, ate whatever foods he wanted, never ran a mile and still looked like a twig. Aflame with renewed jealously, Chris and Yuuri plotted their next prank on him until he had to leave. The butterflies were just as present as before, however along with them was a small hope, thanks to the picture sitting on the kitchen counter. Even though they weren't here physically, and it wasn't him they were smiling at, it stirred reassuring calm across his nerves, like like a thick, cool ointment slathered across a burn. Perhaps he'll get to meet that wolf during his stay.

"Mom. Dad." He clapped his hands together and bowed in prayer. "Please watch over me while I'm here. I know you had your reasons for not sharing this place, but now it's time. So please don't be angry." And after a short silence of gazing at the picture, he smiled. "I'm off to visit Viktor. Please look over the cabin while I'm gone."

Yuuri bowed once more before he made his way out. He would erect a proper shrine for them this afternoon. He grabbed his keys and his phone, again locking the door out of habit because those were hard to break. Perhaps he could function a bit better today, he certainly felt bold enough to ask the questions that he wanted, but he knew himself enough to know that he was unstable and uncertain to the point where that feeling could change any minute. Inexplicably, he felt that Viktor held the key to all the answers, and the more they talked, the closer he could get to them.

Pulling up to Viktor's cottage, he was allowed another few minutes to himself as he turned the car off, a brief reprieve to gather his thoughts before his host came out to greet him. Taking a deep breath and mentally slapped himself to get going, Yuuri exited his car in preparation to greet the Russian. The gaudy, pink car was still in the driveway, but Yuuri refrained from making any verbal statements about it. Insulting a man's car was... not a good first, second, or third impression considering his familiarity with his parents. Mari was a bit looser with her tongue when it came to opinion, but both of the Katsuki siblings were taught manners first, so even she knew when to just smile and nod.

Ignoring the ostentatious thing, he focused on the man himself as he met him halfway on the path, dressed just as nice as the last time. "Thank you for indulging in my request for your company," he said in his thick, Russian accent that was doing wonders for Yuuri's brain chemistry right now. "I hope you brought an appetite, my swan, I have prepared several things for you to try."

The way Viktor talked was a like a tickle of fingers at the nape of his neck and Yuuri turned his face away to mock uncertainty. "I don't know, it could be poisonous."

Viktor gave a bright, happy smile, his mouth in the shape of a heart, and Yuuri immediately forgets the rest of the world exists. "You're very right! How clever of you to uncover my evil plan so quickly!" It was too ridiculous for Yuuri not to laugh. "This morning I made us ватрушка, which is a pastry with quark in the middle. It's very yummy, especially with raspberries!"

Yuuri had no idea what he was talking about, but he went with it and politely smiled. "Sounds adventurous."

Viktor patted his shoulder as he led him towards the front door again. "Worry not, if it isn't for you, I have also prepared fried eggs, polish sausage and porridge, along with your choice of tea and coffee."

Yuuri's smile melted into something catatonic. "Tea sounds lovely." At Viktor's raised eyebrow, he blushed. "I usually can't function anywhere close to human without a cup or two of coffee right out of bed. However, caffeine works wonders on my system and any more than that makes me jittery and hyper. My energy burns out early and collapsing in the afternoon throws off my sleep schedule."

Viktor chuckled. "I can't understand that. I consume an entire pot every morning. Sometimes two."

Yuuri's eyes went as wide as saucers at that unfathomable amount. "Two," he asked dubiously as he jammed his feet into borrowed house slippers once again, the taller man closing the door behind them.

He nodded as he started towards the kitchen. "Sometimes." Yuuri just shook his head as he followed him in. "I blame my mother, she was addicted to the stuff much the same way."

Mention of the woman made Yuuri think back to the picture that had been mounted on the fireplace. His parents' photo wouldn't be out front and center if they weren't important to him, nor would Viktor talk fondly of them like he was doing now. Yuuri so desperately wanted to know more, not just his connection to his own parents. The Russian man's life intrigued him, his family and past a mystery that Yuuri resolved himself to figure out. But where did he even start? Asking the wrong question at the wring time could have Viktor completely shut him out.

Trying to piece together a question in his mind that never sounded like anything rude, Yuuri didn't wander the living room this time, making his way directly to the table. However, his pensive mood must have shown clearly on his face to have Viktor bring him out of it with a touch to his shoulder. He didn't even know the taller man was still next to him, but there he was, bent at the waist draping fingers light on the cotton of his shirt and his eyebrows were drawn with slight worry.

"Are you feeling well? You look pale, are you sure you're up for this?" Not intending to give the wrong impression for his silence, he nodded his head vigorously, causing Viktor to give a soft smile. "Good. I didn't know if I did something weird again."

"Weird?" Yuuri's brain gave a sarcastic snort. The guy was weird ninety percent of the time Yuri was with them, everything else taking up the other ten.

Viktor's chuckle invaded his ear as the man bent over a little further into his personal space, Yuuri tried his best not to blush at the contact of his breath on the shell of his ear. "To be honest, I'm not quite sure what to do when people show intense displays of negative emotion. I mean, do I pat them on the head like a father, or kiss them like a lover or something?"

That caused Yuuri to outright laugh. "No, nothing quite so far as that."

"In that case, when you are hurting, what would you like me to do? The night we first met was kind of a blunder." _On both our parts_ went unsaid, but it was something Yuuri tagged on himself.

Yuuri still didn't think Viktor did anything wrong at all, really. "Just be yourself," he said with a reassuring smile.

"A prying, old hermit who's no good with words or people, but with a heart in the right place? Very well, then. Confide in me with what is on your mind."

Yuuri blushed. "I'm very transparent, huh?" Viktor nodded. Not sure how else to phrase it, he decided to be direct. "Em.. Well, if you insist... I didn't want to sound rude, but I was thinking about how I wanted to know more about you."

Viktor grinned something viciously handsome, and a that wicked gleam in his eyes there was no denying it was on purpose. "Is that so?" He held a slender hand to his chest, his smile halfway across his face. "Li'l ol' me?" His accent twisted those those words into something strange and curious. "Like what?"

"I'm not sure where to start..."

"Pick something random and we'll go from there."

"Alright..." Still unsure about this entire conversation, he picked the first thing that popped in his head and silently apologized to his parents for his lack of manners. "How long have you lived here?"

He lifted his hand to his chin, one finger worrying at his bottom lip as he recounted the years. "Hmm... I think it's been almost five years now. I traveled to America when I just turned twenty-one."

"You're from Russia, right?"

"Originally, yes, but I did a bit of backpacking through Europe before I got here. France was even enticing enough for me to stay and learn the language."

"What made you stay here?"

"The beautiful scenery."

Yuuri thought he was talking about the forest and the mountain, but one look at the man's dirty leer had the Japanese man both unnerved and delighted. It wasn't anything like the ones he experienced in college, from inebriated kids looking to distract themselves from the pressure of school and family, though. Rather, it was like a ravenous animal lurking just under that pale skin, eyes bright with a thrill, kept in check only by Viktor's high charisma.

Flustered, he grasped for a reasonable continuation of their conversation. "So... uh... What about Russia? Don't you get homesick?" _Nice recovery_ , he thought.

"All the time, but I have pieces of home here with me. Well, the important ones, anyway, and that's all I need. It eases the pain of being away from home for so long. I'm sure you understand what I mean."

He did. He had many things in his and Phichit's apartment, but very few of them were carried over with him from Japan; things he treasured, things from his home. Missing family was still hard, though. "What about your family? I saw a picture on the mantle of your fireplace. You are a spitting image of them."

Viktor chuckled, a bit of sadness seeping into it. "I take after father when it comes to my talent with art, but my ditzy tendencies come from my mother. She would find a way to trip over thin air, completely graceless unless she was dancing."

A pleasant surprise, that. "She danced," Yuuri asked, more interested now that he had something in common with one of Viktor's parents.

He nodded. "Oh yes. Prima at the Bolshoi after Lilia-"

"Madam Baranovskaya?!"

It was only after Viktor started chuckling that Yuuri realized he had blurted that out loud and he covered his mouth in shock, much to his host's amusement. "Yes, she was my mother's instructor. They were very close. Mom had me young, so I grew up around her."

"How long have they known each other?"

"Since near childhood, I believe. Mom's body was quick to gain weight, even as a kid, so Lilia always got her back into shape with dancing and she never stopped. She was still dancing even when I was in the womb."

"Pregnant and still dancing?" Yuuri was in awe and Viktor winked at him.

"En pointe."

"Is that even safe?"

"Yes, though her doctor always reminded her not to push herself too hard. She was really stubborn, though, and didn't listen to anyone other than Lilia."

"That's amazing." Now he understood how it was that Viktor noticed his way of movement. He must have recognized the dancer in his mother. It made him feel a bit light-hearted.

Viktor nodded. "She was quite dedicated, Yes. My father always supported her and they were ridiculously in love. Meeting the Katsukis reminded me of them, and it was both depressing and heartwarming."

Yuuri felt like a complete jerk. His parents had reminded Viktor of his home, his own family, and the distance still between them. He had no reason to react to him like he did that first night. Ashamed, Yuuri bowed his head a little. "I'm sorry."

Viktor shook his head. "You don't have to apologize. I understand your feelings. I was quite the same way when my own parents died. Anyone who even uttered their name, much less brought up the 'good ol' times,' and I was quick to get angry at them."

Yuuri felt the proverbial twist of a knife that had embedded itself in his stomach, causing anxiety to churn and tighten the muscles under his skin. Viktor not only suffered through the deaths of the Katsukis, but also his own parents. Did he have no one, then? Was he completely without family? Yuuri couldn't imagine where he would've ended up if he didn't have Mari standing strong next to him.

Close to tears, the Japanese man wrinkled his shirt in balls of shaking fists as he lowered his head further to stare at the table. "I'm so sorry," he repeated, wondering how Viktor could think that Yuuri needn't apologize for his insensitivity upon their first meeting. Viktor had been through so much. His insensitive outburst, the picture of his parents, both were his fault, but to hear that Viktor's parents died, Yuuri really felt like a jerk, now, and he closed his eyes to trying to keep the tears at bay. That action had the very opposite effect; they were streaming down his face and would not stop.

So caught up in his misery for Viktor, who he now learned lost two sets of parents, Yuuri did not hear the chair next to his scrape across the floor. nor the soft thud of a body sitting next to him. He was horrible and for the millionth time he regretted their disastrous first meeting, regardless of his intense emotions when he first got to the cabin. There really was no excuse for his behavior, and the fact that Viktor was quick to forgive him said something tremendous about his character. How could he think the guy to be an ax murder?

Feeling so messed up inside, the gentle hand on Yuuri's shoulder made him jump in his seat, looking up at Viktor on reflex and only belatedly realizing that his face was red, blotchy, and streaked with tears; a face he was sure looked pathetic and unsightly.

Viktor reached out and took away his glasses, leaving the danseur without any barriers to hide behind, and folded the blue frames neatly before he set them on the table. "Yuuri." His palm was firm as he squeezed his shoulder in reassurance, the other cupping his jaw in a gentle hold that made Yuuri flush even deeper. This guy was getting a little too close for his comfort. Silver eyebrows were furrowed in deep concern and confusion at where his hands connected them, as if he didn't understand what he was doing, merely allowing his hands to do as they pleased. He didn't retract them, instead looking Yuuri directly in the eyes with something akin to conviction. "I, uh... dunno what to do... But I'm here for you."

It was as if those words had punched through the fragile dam holding in his emotions, his terrible face turning ugly as a waterfall of tears escaped, and he threw away any thoughts about saving his remaining dignity. Yuuri wound his arms around Viktor's shoulders and buried his face against the muscles of his chest. His nose squishing into the dips of skin through the thin fabric of his shirt, which became soaking wet within seconds. He could feel Viktor's astonishment through a nervous tick in the man's chest, a minuscule jump in surprise, and a brief yet tense pause in the moment had Yuuri thinking that Viktor would pull away. He held his breath until fingers carded through his hair and the hand on his shoulder moved to the middle of his back to, nestled between the shoulder blades to encourage him to stay just like this.

Time was an unimportant thing tossed out the window as the two of them stayed there, embracing until Yuuri's voiced whimpers had quieted and his grip became a little looser, caressing the Russian's neck. Not once did those hands pause in their work, combing through his hair and rubbing solidly on his back. Yuuri felt worn out but much better and was the first one to pull away, rubbing his already red cheeks and puffy eyes.

Viktor let him go, reaching out to grab and hold the tissue box in between them as an peace offering, which Yuuri took gratefully. "Feel better?"

Yuuri chuckled, his voice broken from the stress of his breakdown. "Despite how terrible I must look, yes, actually. I do." He blew his nose and folded the tissue. "Thank you."

With a bright smile not yet reaching heart status, Viktor held out his hand for the tissue so that he could grant Yuuri a bit of time to pull himself together while he threw it away. Grateful, he thankfully handed over the crumpled tissue, though between his shaking hand and the electrifying touch of their skin the tissue somehow ended up falling towards the floor, and while both of them fumbled for it, it escaped their grasps completely to roll slightly under the table.

Viktor muttered something indistinguishable, probably in Russian, as he bent himself over, swinging his arm low to grasp the errant snot rag. Yuuri, finally able to pull himself together enough to slide on his glasses, couldn't help gazing at the top of the man's head as he continued to search under the table. Viktor's hair whorl was in the very middle of his head and slightly hypnotizing. Before he could stop himself, he reached out... and poked it. And it wasn't a quick poke, his finger stayed pressed against it, stilling the Russian man's movement until his realized what he had done.

Gasping, Yuuri immediately took his finger away, throwing his hands up in surrender. "I'm so sorry! I don't know what came over me!"

One hand, not the one that had finally caught the tissue, came up to his hair, as if trying to confirm something. "Is it getting thinner," he asked, his voice slight shaking with an overly dramatic flare, and Yuuri resisted the urge to roll his eyes before shaking his head to deny his worry. "No, it's fine! Everything is still thick and shiny!"

It seems those words still weren't the ones Viktor wanted to hear and he slowly sank to the floor, laying on his stomach as a cloud of depression cast over him. "I don't think I can recover from this."

Now he was just being difficult, and Yuuri let the eye roll happen, and a slight chuckle, as he knelt down next to the prone man. "I'm sorry. Come on, get up. You're overreacting."

"It's a very serious thing."

"It's not. Really, are all Russians this it's-the-end-of-my-life dramatic? Up. Now." This guy's sudden change in behavior was kinda of amusing, but mostly exasperating.

Viktor looked up at him with teary eyes. "I'm bald."

Yuuri remained unimpressed. "You aren't. Now get up off the floor." He reached out, insisting to help him up.

Defeated, Viktor grasped his hand and allowed him to pull, not resisting at all. Unfortunately, Yuuri was expecting resistance. He tugged a little too hard, which resulted in them standing for a brief moment then toppling over again, this time Yuuri being trapped under him, which caused both of them to blush once they realized how their bodies lined up. Their hands fell apart while they were in the process of falling, but everything else was pressed together, from their chests to their hips, and their legs tangled together. Viktor was unable to keep his weight off of Yuuri, resulting in almost crushing him, but was able to protect his head. He hissed in pain as his hand was squished from forces on both sides.

Both wincing and taking their time to recover from their rapid descent, Viktor did his best to look over Yuuri's upper body. "Are you alright," he asked. Subconsciously, because Yuuri really didn't think he would do that bold sort of thing intentionally, his his thumb rubbed along the shell of his ear with the rest of his fingers buried in his hair and caressing his scalp. Yuuri is just as disorientated as Viktor and his eyes stay unfocused as he tries to will the pain in his back away.

"Mostly," he answered, both of his hands coming up to clap Viktor's back reassuringly. "That was..." He trailed off unable to find a suitable word. Viktor chuckled, seeming to be able to pull the exact word he needed.

"Unexpected."

"Frightfully so." Yuuri closed his eyes briefly to shake himself out of his dizziness and focused on Viktor's well being. "What about you? Did I crush your hand?"

"It'll live," he answered, trying to help massage the man's head pain away, but keeping his thumb on his ear, resulting in Yuuri nearly purring in contentment. He doesn't realize just how close and intimate they are until he opens his eyes and Viktor's blue eyes immediately fill his vision, making them blush as they come to the same conclusion: this was a bit too close.

They separate, Viktor getting to his knees first and the his feet while Yuuri scooted backwards a few feet to sit up, immediately groaning as the back of his head throbs in pain. Maybe he wasn't as okay as he thought he was. Viktor just gives him a sympathetic look before he clasps both of Yuuri's hands in his and gently pulls the smaller man to his feet with the correct amount of strength, putting a hand at his shoulder to steady him. Their other hands remained together throughout the transition. "Would you like an aspirin?"

Yuuri started to nod but stopped shortly afterward because of the ensuing headache. "Yes, please."

Viktor patted his shoulder, untangled their hands much to both their unsettling disappointment, and retreats to the bathroom's medicine cabinets. Swallowing down the lumpy feelings in his throat, he quickly tried to get his appearance into some sense of order, smoothing down his hair and straightening his clothes so they didn't look as rumpled as Yuuri felt. He didn't know who Viktor was, to alleviate him of his anxiety, sadness and pain so quickly, and have him laughing with silly moments the next. Maybe it was his emotions just playing havoc on his system, welling up in his chest and just about to burst. Yuuri very rarely felt like this about anyone, yet he only met Victor a couple days ago.

Unsure of what he was thinking anymore, Yuuri wiped his mind clean and tried to focus on something else other than the feel of his strong body and how it was pressed against his just a few minutes ago, and with little success. He hoped he wasn't blushing. He checked his reflection in the TV just to make sure, but there wasn't much he could see there. He walked around the living room, constantly pressing his hands to his cheeks in attempts to get them to cool down. He wasn't very successful as they were still hot to the tough every time he touched them.

Sighing and shaking out his limbs to be less tense, he was about to follow Viktor to the bathroom to see what was taking so long when something caught his eye, right on the peripheral edge of his vision. Looking toward it, he could instantly tell it was one of Viktor's paintings, though it wasn't in his usual style, but the fact that it was in his home, in the main room. Still he was utterly enthralled with the piece.

It was of a scraggly old man, nothing but skin and bones with a beard all the way down to his legs. His eyes popped out of his skull-like head with a disgusting look of crazy Yuuri had ever seen. He was in dirty robes and a rusty crown, his surroundings drab and dark, and Yuuri wondered what sort of emotion persuaded Viktor to draw such a menacing character.

"I did that one back when I was still in Russia," Viktor said, startling Yuuri with his silent return, and he gave an apologetic smile as he handed over first the pills and then the glass of water. He watched Yuuri carefully, making sure he gulped them down before turning to the image on the wall. "The painting is of Koschei the Deathless."

"More Russian folklore?" Silver strands nodded. "Okay, so who's this grotesque creature?"

"Hmm... The best I can describe him is an old, perverted immortal who isn't really immortal. In every version of every story he dies."

"What kills him?"

"Various things: a sword, setting him on fire. He casts a spell to remove his soul so that no one can hurt him, not unless you can find his soul."

Yuuri smirked. "Oh? I assume that a particularly hard feat for the hero of the story." It made Viktor laugh.

"It's said that he places it in a needle, inside an egg, inside a duck, inside a rabbit, locked inside of an iron or crystal chest that's buried beneath a giant oak tree on an island. Whoever controls the egg, controls him. And if you break the needle, you break the spell. Thousands of years fall upon his body and he dies."

"You sound like a Wikipedia page."

Viktor winked at him. "But with a Russian accent, yeah?" Yuuri blushed and turned away to try to hide it.

"He must be pretty strong."

"Do you want to hear a tale?" Yuuri nodded, unable to help this sudden curiosity of tales from Viktor's home. "Very well, I'll make you a deal."

"Oh? What kind of deal?"

"Story time. I will recount numerous Russian fairy tales if you do the same. I must admit, trekking through Europe gave me plenty of material to work with for my paintings for a while, but I know next to nothing about Japanese versions. My curiosity has gripped my heart in a tight squeeze, and I feel if I don't ask you to share, it would be a wasted opportunity."

Yuuri looked at him, perplexed. "An opportunity for what?"

"To get to know you better, and Japanese culture might cure the small artistic slump I've fallen into lately. I've never asked this of Hiroko and Toshiya despite... everything we've been through, but they have told a few things."

"Hm..." The Japanese man brought up his finger to his mouth in a very Viktor-like fashion. "I'm busy for the rest of the day."

Viktor took that hand in his, loving the startled look on Yuuri's face as he pressed a kiss to his fingers.

"We don't have to do it today. You should come over in the evening, Yuuri. The moon is a spectacular view from my back porch in the fall," Yuuri thinks Viktor is more beautiful than some moon and would gladly stare at him but he would never say that out loud. They just met and he wasn't some crazy teenager anymore. But maybe eventually... He shook himself out of those dangerous thoughts.

"Eh? Come over to some strange man's house? All alone in the woods? At night?" He polished off his water and handed it over to Viktor. "I don't know... Sounds like a perfect opportunity for ax murdering."

"Nonsense." He waved his hand in the air. "I don't go around murdering inanimate objects."

Yuuri dissolves into laughter, utterly thrown for a loop by Viktor's ridiculous answer, but also charmed by his sincerity and lighter humor."I'm glad for their safety. So what about mine"

This time, Viktor wasted no time on hesitation and uncertainty, the hand not holding onto his coming up to delicately take hold of his chin. "I would fight every animal in this forest for your safety."

Too startled to even think of how to respond, it gave Viktor enough time for his smirk to transform into another one of his heart-shaped smiles, releasing his chin and bopping him on the nose. He was also nothing but a dork and Yuuri couldn't find the strength to say no.

"Very well. I accept."

Viktor's eyes sparkled and his lips instantly parted into a bigger heart. "That's wonderful. Tomorrow night?"

"Sure."

"I'll make sure to prepare some good food!"

"I'll bring dessert."

"No, don't worry about that, I have it covered!"

Yuuri stood his ground, his expression leaving no room for an argument. "I will. I want to."

Viktor smirked. "Alright, then. It's a date!" The statement made Yuuri panic a little inside. This was most certainly not a date.

"It's not a date." The nerve of Viktor being this bold riled Yuuri up and made his face tingle.

"It's totally a date." Dates were intimate outings between two people, between three or four if you swung that way. Yuuri hadn't been intimate with anyone in a long time, possibly somewhere in his sophomore year in college.

"It's not a date!"

A date was going out at night with the guy you like to eat, talk, see a movie, and spend quality time with each other. They were doing that. They... Fuck, they were doing that. All it took to silence him was for Viktor to press a finger against his lips while looking the young Japanese man in the eyes, causing him to stutter and blush in surprise.

Viktor broke their tension before anything else could happen. "Well... You probably have things to do today." He glanced down at his watch. "It's getting late, and breakfast has probably gone cold, now."

Yuuri followed his gaze and that, to his disappointment, he was right. "That's too bad. I was looking forward to tasting more Russian cuisine."

"Well, if you can stay for just half an hour or so longer, I'll reheat breakfast and we can try again."

Yuuri chuckled. "I'd like that. Thank you"

This time, when they sat down at the table, nothing deep ensued for conversation, both of them worn out by the heavy wreck from this morning's unexpected turn into intense subjects. They kept it light, talking about food, how Yuuri's mother made the best dish in the world, and then Yuuri being surprised at Viktor's enthusiastic answer of how her katsudon would never be outdone, not in a million years. Yuuri even told him that it was a dish he didn't get to have often when he was dancing and when he was in Detroit, gaining weight easily and not being home often enough to eat it all the time. But whenever winter break happened, and he went home until school started back up, his mother always welcomed him home with a bowl. Viktor also said that she made a bowl first think whenever she and Toshiya came to visit. They used this very kitchen.

Yuuri was starting to tear up again, so Viktor segued into a different topic, about his own mother's cooking, and how half these dishes were learned from her. The Japanese man was delighted by the food and comment how wonderful everything tasted. Yes, Viktor had been right, the raspberries were a delicious touch. The sausage was spicy and went well with newly made fried eggs; soft and ready to spill out in the middle, nice and crispy at the ends. Even the porridge tasted amazing. Yuuri suspected that if he hadn't been a hermit artist, he probably would've gone into the culinary arts with all of his skill.

After polishing off every crumb and cleaning the dishes, Yuuri insisted on helping and would not take no for an answer, Viktor escorted him to the door, holding it open for him. It was a small gesture he appreciated very much and he said so, making Viktor smile, but his lips stayed closed. The Russian also walked with him to his car, making sure to lean on his window until he was properly buckled in.

Once the car was revved up and ready to go, he turned to Viktor. "Thank you for breakfast, even though it turned out emotional."

He shakes his head. "I'm glad. We both got things off our chests. I hope now that we understand each other a bit better, we could meet each other halfway from now on."

Yuuri smiled genuinely up at him. "I'd like that."

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow night, then, yes?" Yuuri nodded. "I look forward to it."

Viktor then backed away to let Yuuri drive off.

*O*

When Yuuri managed to get himself home, an amazing feat in and of itself considering he was distracted by the many faces of one Viktor Nikiforov, he set his mind to dig through more of the closet to see what he could find and what was worth saving. He set his phone to play some background music so the entire place wouldn't fell so hollow while he worked, but that might have been a bit of a distraction since half the time he was dancing in circles around the main room to it. He blamed it on the need to clean, he always seemed to end up moving to the music when he did.

Now that he was here, hidden away from prying eyes of just one person or many, it didn't matter, Yuuri felt more relaxed that he could just be himself without any embarrassment. And with that new outlook on the rest of the day, he pushed the events of this morning out of his head. It did no good to reflect on breakfast and he had all day tomorrow to waste away on freaking out about it.

Yuuri dived head first into the closet, pulling out somethings that were expected to be in a closet, other things that had no business being in the light of day outside the closet; mostly useless things, but some were very interesting. Among them were several boxes with baby things, and he immediately brought those out to the couch so he could sift through them more closely. He saw old toys, musty stuffed animals that could use a good washing, pictures of naked butts and dramatic makeovers. He found one of himself in his mother's heels, a pink boa, and large, stylish sunglasses, but it was satisfying to know that he wasn't the only one in the picture; Mari was right there next to him in a similar outfit, though instead of a boa she had more jewelry around her neck, wrists and fingers than he could count, and her entire face was smeared in makeup. He should burn it, but it was memories snapped back in time, so instead he put it at the bottom of the pile.

He found baby books, pieces of plastic and paper that held remnants of baby teeth, hair and hospital bracelets, all of which coaxed a soft smile out of him as he flipped through him. It was a wondrous treasure trove that he was never going to get rid of. Then, at the bottom of the box, he found something that he needed to share with Mari immediately. Disregarding whatever time it may be over there, this news was more important than the silly antics that always seem to be going on at the onsen and could not wait. Quickly, he unlocked his phone and contacted Mari.

"Hey, bro. How are you doing?"Strange, she didn't seem tired or exasperated, which were her two favorite emotions since he'd left for the cabin.

Yuuri considered the question and found that he was doing okay. "Strangely, considering my earlier meltdown, I feel pretty good." Music therapy, and all.

That's when Mari's voice took on a new emotion and not for the better. "What? A meltdown? Why didn't you call me sooner?"

He waved his hand frantically in the air even though she could see it. Nervous ticks were never easy to get rid of, regardless if other people see them or not. "Oh, no, it's okay! It was a quick one and passed in a short span of time." Thanks to Viktor.

"You still should have called me."

"No, I couldn't. I was over at Viktor's place, but he was totally understanding! He handled the situation quite well, actually. I wonder if he's been through an attack or knows someone who has..."

"You had a breakdown in front of a guy you barely know? The same creepy guy in the woods that could be an ax murderer?"

"I couldn't exactly control it, When he said he understood my feelings, it's as if I lost control of my body and all of its functions went haywire - and I thought we covered that he wasn't an ax murderer?"

She completely ignored his last statement, instead focusing on the first part. "He was the CAUSE of it?!"

Yuuri rubbed the back of his neck, not quite sure what would be the appropriate thing to say in order to get his sister to calm down. He's really in for it, now, so he tried to make it not sound so bad while also stating the truth. "Well, sort of, but not like that! He's actually really nice despite his odd tendencies." That was a good thing to say, at least, right?

"Woah, wait a minute! What tendencies?! Start talking, baby brother!"

"He's a little weird..."

"Weird?!"

"Yes, but he's a bit of a recluse, so it's understandable. And anyway, it's a good weird!"

"Brother, that's no good! You know what, I was wrong! Don't get involved with that guy anymore! I'm serious, I will come over there!" That just seemed to rile her up more and Yuuri was just about done with it. Yes, she was his sister, he could understand her worry, but she was taking it too far, now. Besides, he knew enough self defense to take care of creeps on his own. It wasn't like when they were still children, he didn't need Mari to beat people up for him. Not only was he capable of doing so himself, but he liked to think he could handle an escalated fight back down to a civil level. He grew somewhat of a backbone in Detroit, partially thanks to Chris and Phichit, and he was about ready to use it right now.

"Stop it, Mari. He has been nothing but nice and a perfect gentleman to me. I just mean Viktor is different from everyone I know. He's not like my classmates in Detroit, and he's not like the people here, and I don't know, he just... makes me feel all these different things that I've never felt before and I want to explore that! Please don't freak out."

"You only known him for what, two days? How can I not freak out!?"

He sighed and collapsed on the couch, hoping against all hope to calm his sister down. "Mari-nee. I may not know him yet, but our parents did. If you can't put your trust in me, please put your trust in them. They wouldn't have befriended someone who wasn't good at heart. You know this."

There was a pause before a light chuckle came through. "Mom wouldn't have it."

"Please give me a chance to get to know him. To find out what's going on with this place. And why they never said anything about him. Please."

She sighed. "Fine. I'll trust you on this."

Yuuri smiled, and even though she couldn't physically see it, it was bright enough to edge into his words. "Thank you."

"Yeah, kid, I'm a real saint. But make no mistake, this isn't over. I wanna meet this guy!"

He giggled, honestly giggled, at her demand. What was wrong with him? "Yes, honored, older sister." And he didn't have to see her to know what face she pulled.

"Don't say that in English, it's weird. Anyway, what are you doing right now?"

Yuuri, perked up and glad for the subject change, reached over and pulled a box toward him as he responded. "I'm going through the living room closet. It's much bigger than it looks. I can't believe how much stuff I've found."

"Oh? Like what?"

He smirked. "Our baby stuff."

"What? I thought they lost those." She sounded both delighted and suspicious.

"Apparently, they lost them up here. There are toys, baby books and pictures, among other things."

"A lot?" Now she sounded scared. He didn't understand why, though. He'd already looked through most of it and everything was so cute, though he could understand a little bit with how embarrassing those naked ones were. But naked baby pictures were a standard with parents, he'd seen a few of Phichit's and Chris'.

"Tons. And Mari, I do believe I found your baby blanket."

She sighed. "Aww hell, what does it look like?"

"It's white with little butterflies on it."

She groaned at the description, probably was hoping for a more plain or masculine one. "Butterflies? That can't be mine! What makes you so sure?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Aside from the name embroidered on the corner that says Mari?"

"Fuck-balls."

Yuuri laughed so hard he fell off the couch.

*O*

Finally, he was here. Otabek looked around the quaint town with a blank stare as he took in the tiny shops and tidy streets. It was a darling place, picturesque, and it was the perfect place to stay until he had to head over to the nearby industrial city the next evening. The bed and breakfast he was staying at was clean and very welcoming, the patroness not at all turned off by his stoic appearance, nor by the fact that he was going to a rave one of his friends held in a warehouse the following night; a surprising trait that doesn't happen upon many of the older generations. He was grateful he didn't have to find someplace else, because he didn't have any other plans than to drive home the day after.

Home. A temporary place of residence was all it was in reality, but it held everything he owned. He tried to make it as comfy as he could for the undetermined amount of time he was staying there, buying comforting and nifty things to fill it up. Four rooms in a boxlike apartment wasn't much, but it was home for now until he could decide where to move. He didn't know what he wanted to do with his life, but he needed to be on his own to figure it out. Not his family, not his professors, not his friends.

But that didn't mean he couldn't have a bit of fun while he was figuring it out. Raves and parties were the best outlets for him, especially if he was feeling extra on the side of uptight. Dancing, alcohol, taking someone home to spend pent up energy in the bed, then regaining those calories with coffee and pastries the next morning while the person you slept with will either turn out to be a good friend, or want to have nothing to do with you. People said he didn't seem like the type to party, but outward appearances can be deceiving. Everyone should know that by now, especially when it came to his friends.

Now he was here. With time to spare, he toured the town all day, simply because he had no other things to do, and thus proceeded to try to get lost. He tried. However, no matter what random streets he took, there was always a way back to familiarity, something he found both annoying and charming. The people here were pleasant to speak with, as well, often wanting a picture with him before trying to sell him "discounted" food and trinkets. He went along with most of them, their ploys genuine to try to save him money, but there were a few shady people who weren't able to pass his inspection. He may be the "size of a bear," or so his mother always told him, but that didn't mean his intelligence was anything like one.

Otabek waved to yet another older woman as he left her shop, a bag in hand with a couple others, this one holding several pairs of earrings, a necklace, and an entire jewelry box's worth of bracelets. The other two bags he had held books from local authors, CDs, and a new denim jacket he was seriously considering wearing tomorrow night. Feeling refreshed and somewhat accomplished today even though he set out with no specific goal in mind, he started heading his way back to where he was staying.

About halfway there, he ran into some unexpected trouble, quite literally.

"Oi! Watch where you're walking!"

Nevermind the fact that the shorter man had literally run into him as he took to the blind corner, Otabek was too busy staring at his face to really care. Vivid green eyes glared up at him behind thick blond locks in annoyance, face adorably scrunched up at him as if accusing him of purposely delaying him from some important mission. His attire didn't match the conservative tone of this town, dressed head to toe in a leopard print hoodie, a tiger shirt, and ripped jeans with matching sneakers. Was he visiting here, as well? Was he going to the rave, too? He seemed a little younger than Otabek, though not by much.

"What are you staring at, Asshole?"

Otabek merely blinked at him, as if that minuscule action said all that needed to be said. Of course he was staring. Who wouldn't stare at him? How could he not stare?

"Whatever. I'm so done with you." That was too bad, Otabek didn't feel the same. "I have shit to do. Just stay out of my way!"

The Russian man turned on his heel, a rather smooth pivot of his foot, and stomped away… Right into oncoming traffic.

His body reacted far quicker than his brain could calculate all the wrong things that could happen if he managed to fully step into the street. In something that happened in mere seconds, yet felt stretched out into minutes as timed to slow in the heat of the moment, Otabek grabbed onto the younger man's sleeve and had an armful of small, feisty blonde struggling against his chest as he was stepping back toward the building they were next to. Neither of them said a thing and kept quiet as a truck passed by a moment later, in the same spot on the road where he'd been crossing, the fear present enough to shock the blond into stillness.

Otabek's back slammed into the brick of the corner building as the world seemed to speed back up to its normal pace, and traffic resumed after a few yells and honking. Small town, but big-city-attitude drivers, he duly noted. When the excitement died down, and their heart rates slowed to match, he remembered he had a blond firecracker in his arms, a like sentiment shared with the blond at the same time he started loosening his hold to let him go. The stranger ripped himself away, a huge blush on his face.

He let him go. "Are you alright, now," he asked as he started to drag himself to his feet, dusting off his jeans. Good thing they were already distressed so he didn't look any different.

Slim, long fingers smoothed out his braid, something that Otabek noted went down to the middle of his upper back, and he momentarily zoned out wondering what that gorgeous color would look like if left in a loose waterfall around the guy's shoulders. "I'm fine," he snapped, looking away. Then he mumbled something that Otabek couldn't hear clearly.

"What?"

The blond whirled around with a glare. "I said 'thank you.' What are you deaf? Don't make me repeat it so damn much!" Otabek lifted an eyebrow at his poor attempt at thanking him, which caused another round of yelling. "I didn't ask you to save me, so don't go around expecting favors!" He hadn't really thought about asking for anything in return, but he wasn't able to talk yet as he was getting yelled again. "God, why am I even still here?! Listen, asshole, I don't know who you are, but you should really get that staring thing checked out. It's creepy!"

"Uh..." He honestly had no idea how to respond to that. Normally people look at each other when they're talking, don't they?

"Anyway, I have something important to take care of. Later, loser." With that, he stomped away, belatedly holding up a hand in an attempt at a wave goodbye.

Well... That had been and interesting encounter.

AN: End of Day Three, I hope all of you liked it! Thanks to all the lurkers and reviewers, and if you have any asks, look for me on tumblr kuroneko-hikage.


	4. Day Four

Day Four

Otabek had a rough time waking up the next morning, what was supposed to be a serene moment after a blissful night of wonderful sleep was actually sunlight stabbing a headache into his brain as his sandpaper eyes struggled open from the few hours of unconsciousness he managed to get. Last night had been hard for him to get through, after the encounter with the blond man there was no forgetting him. He tried, a couple of his friends gathered at one of the local restaurants and invited him out to eat with them so he took the opportunity knowing he would probably never see the man again, but his image would not leave his mind's eye. Back at the inn, his focus was so wayward and he had fallen asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow with exhaustion, but he was unable to keep that REM dream cycle consistently throughout the night. Now he was waking up inside a mountain of pillows and blankets in a weird combination of exhausted and wide awake.

Once he managed to pull himself from his cocoon-like bedding - exceedingly difficult due to his sleep deprivation - he sluggishly went about his morning routine, taking extra care to shave so he didn't cut him self, followed by brushing and dressing for the day. It was a miracle he even remembered pants, and it was times like these he was grateful that he'd left the clothes for tonight draped on his chair the day before. Hoping the room wasn't too much of a mess and he didn't miss anything obvious, he stretched one more time, smoothed out any wrinkles in his clothes and double checked that his hair was passable, he ventured down the stairs in hopes to attain some black tea or coffee.

A warm feeling continued to pilfer Otabek's senses as he enjoyed breakfast amidst conversation with the other sparse patrons at the inn, and he let his mind drift into blank nothingness as he sipped peacefully from his cup. There was nothing in particular that Otabek had planned for the day, just the drive to the rave. It didn't start until late afternoon, and the drive there was only a few hours long, so his time was free until then. The rave was supposed to go into heavily into the night, and possibly in the early morning considering the guest DJ's that were going to be there, but Otabek knew he wasn't going to last that long, even if he were able to squeeze an afternoon nap. However, that nap was sounding better by the second, and what was once supposed to be a lethargic afternoon of reading and listening to music on his phone, he drifted into a siesta not long after curling up on his room's bay window.

He dreamed in flashes, like a film with scenes were haphazardly cut short and clumsily pasted together. In those dreams, some of them made sense, others it felt as if he were on an acid trip, and sometimes it was hard to distinguish between the two. When he woke up, he could scarcely remember much of anything. Walking along a crowded street in a large metropolis. Standing still and surrounded by a picturesque forest at sunset or sunrise. Drowning, calmly swallowed and sinking away from a watered surface. A pair of inhuman green eyes staring at him from the shadows.

The lady who ran the inn never woke him up for check out, saying he looked like he needed the rest and made sure no one would disturb him. It was the reason for his current panic to get ready and pack up his things. If he timed it just right, then he would arrive at the rave just before sundown. Otabek inspected his image one last time to make sure everything was in place, covered head to toe in black but not something practical for a rave. Usually, people wore neon colors to stand out, shiny bits to attract attention, skintight and barely-there clothing easy to get out of if someone decided to go to a place that wasn't theirs. He had none of those intentions, and his outward appearance reflected that: skinny jeans, a t-shirt hid behind a plain leather jacket, black fabric gloves and a scarf wound around his neck. There was nothing there to stand out. If anything, Otabek was there because he had nothing else to do. He was there because his friend is a DJ. He was having a mid-life crisis while he was still in his early twenties, so the logical choice would be to go through the motions until he figured it out.

With a final nod, he grabbed his keys and headed out.

ooooo

Otabek had no intention of dancing tonight. He loved music, loved the beats of the drums, the riffs of a guitar, and the buzz of electronica, but his body was never inclined to adapt to long hours of bouncing and gyrating like the rest of his generation. He'd tried ballet as a kid, but never quite got the hang of it, nor any other type of dance, and soon found that it was a profession he would never be able to follow. Immediately following a quick visit to the bar, he attached himself to the dark walls of the warehouse as his friend got the crowd riled up with just the flip of a switch on his board and a wave of his hand. He applauded people who had such high charisma, who drew in a crowd and made others like them with little to no effort. Otabek had been told from friends and family alike that he had the countenance of a rock wall, whatever that meant. He may not know what was showing on his face half the time, but that didn't mean he felt nothing He was extremely human, regardless of how much it didn't show.

However, his plan staying in the corners and sipping alcohol was not something that fate would allow him to keep doing tonight, not when a flash of blond flared in his peripheral vision. Catching Otabek's eyes like a fish to a baited hook, he let himself drown in the sight of a familiar man shining intermediately through the crowd. It's the guy he ran into the day before, a flourishing body with long limbs that he looked like he was still growing into. He was dressed different, a white hoodie with the face of a lion and a mane full of stars hung baggy on his frame over a pair of simple black leggings, but he could easily throw it off if it got too hot. He wondered what was underneath, or if there was anything under it at all. Once again, Otabek could not bring himself to look away. He allowed himself to openly stare as those arms were held high in the air, and his body continuously jumped with the rest of the crowd.

For a second time in forty-eight hours, Otabek's feet felt the overwhelming need to act on instinct, making a stuttering step forward before the rest of him could catch up. Screw staying in the shadowed walls for the entire evening. His body propelled him forward, one leg in front of the other even as he lost sight of the angry blond amidst the other dancers, but he persisted in that direction regardless. He was the only one not dancing as he remained vigilant in his search, though not for a lack of trying from both women and men as they pawed at various places they had no business touching. Otabek had no time for them, not when the man that had been on his mind for the past twenty-four hours was somewhere nearby.

He stopped in the middle of the dance floor, close to where he'd initially spotted the elusive man who was no longer there, either swept up in another part of the crowd, or exiting the floor all together. Otabek remained a solid, immobile force as his head snapped around to check all the likely choices, from the bar, to the entrance, to the stairs that led to the second floor. He wasn't at the bar. Nor the entrance. He wasn't... there! By the stairs. He was talking with someone, laughing as he held onto the rail of the spiral staircase that led to the upper catwalk.

He made quick work of the distance between the floor and the stairs, legs and feet dodging through a sea of bodies not unlike intricate footwork during a bout of martial arts as he weaved around people and ignored more offers to dance. He had one thing on his mind, one person, and he would be damned if he was actually going to let him get away again. He made a mistake not following him the first time, so if he did that again now, here, he knew that, somehow, he was going to regret it for the rest of his life. With that dreadful thought in his mind, he finally broke free of the dancers and made his way to the bottom of those stairs he'd seen earlier, ignoring everything else.

The staircase was empty.

 _Shit_ , Otabek thought, a thousand things running through his head as he frantically started to look around. Where was that man? He couldn't have gone far. Shifting his eye from left to right, or back left again, it didn't matter. It was hopeless to try to look through the crowds again, and was it just him, or did the number of people attending this function double in the last five minutes? He had to get to a better vantage point that this, otherwise he would have no hope of finding the blond again, and that was just unacceptable.

He climbed the stairs, taking two steps at a time until he was on the upper catwalk. It snaked along the full length of the warehouse in many figure eight patterns, nothing but curves with a spiral stair on either end. From there he should be able to figure out where the elusive blond had gone once his fast heart rate took a moment to forcefully calm down. It was crazy that he felt so out of control over a man he's barely even talked to for a few minutes, and he had no explanation on why but he knew that he needed to talk to him again, perhaps find a way to keep talking to him. One step at a time, the first of which was to catch his breath.

Otabek slowly started to walk along the railings, many circular openings overlooking the crowd. He hoped to see the man he was looking for, but it was hard and he was at a disadvantage due to the strobe lighting and the bodies in constant motion. His eyes automatically latched onto anything blond and pale, only to drift away once he realized they weren't who he was looking for. He did not expect to find him at all, so it was a surprise when ten minutes later, he spotted him just a few feet away on the same catwalk. Mouth suddenly dry, his heart rate sped back up to abnormal levels, and beads of sweat dotted the skin of his forehead and upper lip, even though he's done little activity to produce it. Now that he's found him, his mind became a complete blank on what to do next, choosing instead to blatantly stare at him.

Hello would probably be a good start.

Otabek kept his stride calm and steady as his boots clicked across the catwalk floor, drawing him closer every second until they were mere feet apart, just outside of personal space. He still didn't say anything as he came to a stop, the connection between his brain and mouth still out of service. He didn't say anything as the blond turned around almost automatically to look at him. There were many things he could say, but it was up to the younger man to determine which direction his mouth took.

There was no glare this time, instead holding a bit of amusement, but it didn't escape him that those laughing green eyes were edged with slight irritation. "You're staring again." Somehow, despite how his heart decided to start rapidly beating as if he'd run to the moon and back, Otabek's managed to stay alive long enough to hear the next line. "Are you stalking me?"

Would it be wrong of him to allude an affirmative response? "Maybe."

The man's face scrunched up as he scoffed and rolled his eyes, though he couldn't prevent the slight, upper twitch at the corner of his mouth. "Then maybe I should call for help."

As much as it pained him to admit it, silently and to himself, he couldn't deny that it would be a disaster. Even though he was plenty strong and could take on a few guys all his own, he wouldn't be able to struggle against an entire building full of people. But it wasn't like the guy needed protection. If those muscled thighs and planted feet weren't anything to go by, then his confident stance and goading face certainly were. In front of him was a youth that knew who he was, what he wanted to do, and if someone crossed him, he would have no trouble beating them up. It was hard for him to believe that the same man almost got run over the other day. "You could, but I don't think you need it."

He narrowed his green eyes at him, and Otabek almost felt like he was being scrutinized under a predator's consideration for a good chase. He was expecting all sorts of reactions, graphic depictions running through his mind between the extreme ends of the good-or-bad spectrum. Perhaps he would call for help just to show him up. Or would he attempt to incapacitate him all on his own? Maybe, instead, he would ask him to dance and Otabek, even though he promised himself he wouldn't, couldn't say no.

"You're strange" was all he got. He wasn't quite sure how to respond, so he didn't say anything, not until that silence prompted the other man to hold out a slender hand for Otabek to shake. There was a sharp grin set into the corners of his mouth. "Yuri."

Otabek mentally sighed with relief as he finally got a name to go with the pretty face a question he was tempted to ask since yesterday, but he hadn't been sure if he would be accused of some sort of harassment. It was with an embarrassingly cheesy notion that he realized his chest felt less restricted and his shoulders more relaxed as he gripped the man's hand in a solid hold with a slight shake. His hand was warm, soft, and surprisingly strong. "Otabek." Yuri nodded and their hands parted after a short moment. Otabek didn't want to let go, he wanted to pull him closer, pull him into a dance, maybe pull him out of the rave completely for a walk. But that would probably make Yuri think he was creepy again, so he held in his disappointment as his hand fell limply at his side.

"Nice to meet you," Yuri said, something that seemed both genuine and fake to the Kazakhstan's ears, but he didn't point it out. "Where are you from?" He sipped from a small glass that contained an amber liquid. Otabek didn't think he looked old enough to drink, but it wasn't up to him to be a parent tonight. "You don't look like one of those small town hicks."

Otabek grinned as he remembered thinking the same thing, and he leaned against the railing in hopes to get his body to try and relax. "I could say the same for you." Yuri had looked very out of place there. Any youths Otabek saw in that town aside from his own friends were dressed conservatively and casually. Nothing ugly, but nothing special, either. Nothing like Yuri.

Yuri sneered. "Don't make me barf. I think I would kill myself if I were stuck in a place like that."

"Got something against domesticity?" Although seeing the the blond man in something neutral, the lack of color would've been an interesting sight, and in his mind's eye the color of his eyes and hair would be front and center, but Otabek still preferred the random color pallets of the outfits he's already seen him in. Plain didn't suit the younger man.

"Nope. There's nothing normal about me."

Those words were said with such conviction, ease and boldness, Otabek immediately believed him before he could question himself, and that piqued his interest tenfold. He wanted to discover that abnormality for himself. No, the minute Yuri had crashed into his life he knew there was something different about him. He couldn't put a finger on it, but to hell if he wasn't going to find out. "I'm from Kazakhstan."

Yuri laughed. "I wouldn't have guessed it. Your Russian is really good." Otabek merely offered a slight smirk and a tip of his head as his gratitude. "So, any special plans while you're in the country?"

Raising a hand and gesturing to their surrounding in a small circle, he gave a slight shrug. "A friend of mine is the DJ. He invited me here."

Bright green eyes widened as his smile lit up his face. "No way! Do you know that last song he played? That was wicked awesome!"

He did, his friend had given him his set list and asked if Otabek had any requests. "Welcome to Madness." The blond man continued to gush over the song. "Is that why you are here? Are you a fan of his?" To his mild surprise, the Russian man shrugged.

"I'll admit he's pretty good, but I've never heard of him before tonight."

He thought back to where he had spotted him by the stairs. "Your friends?"

He shook his head, and suddenly he wanted to know just who the other man was talking to earlier and their relation, though it could also be something random and not anything that Otabek needed to worry about. And why he needed to worry about it in the first place was a complete mystery in and of itself. "No. I saw a flyer for the rave and thought it would be a good distraction."

Otabek drew in his eyebrows. "Distraction from what?"

The angry was back as Yuri snorted again. "I dunno... There's too many to count. My life is an utter shit-show, so pick something randomly and you probably won't be wrong."

There were various circumstances that ran through his mind and Yuri could mean any of them, or a all of them if things were that complicated, which judging from Yuri's tone seemed to be more likely. Family was always an issue no matter what part of the world you resided in. Same for any sort of trouble he might have to deal with at work. Did the guy even work, though? Otabek also couldn't help but notice that Yuri made no mention of his friends traveling with him, that he was alone here. What unique struggle the blond was fighting was something that made him itch with curiosity.

Yuri sighed as he stretched his arm high overhead, raising his body to his tiptoes if a full arch, something that must have been difficult for the body to do unless it was used to it, making Otabek further intrigued with what he did for a living. His first guess was an athlete, or maybe a dancer, but whatever he was his body showed both strength and grace. Otabek was physically strong, but sometimes he felt like he was just a stumbling, drunken ox.

Appreciative of the long lines and pretty image Yuri made with his stretch, his hoodie riding above the line of his tights to show a bit of his stomach, Otabek had a hard time forcing his eyes back onto that delicate face. "So... if I say friends, family, job, medical issue, they would all be true?"

Yuri looked away to the side, pondering his answer, and Otabek found that it was a bit said that he had to do so. It was one of the reasons he moved out on his own to a different city, to get away from his family and friends so that he could figure things out. Young, in the prime of his life, and having a bit of a crisis about what was going to happen next. And here was a young man in the same boat as him, escaping all of his life pressures just like him, and that realization hit dead center home in his chest. Whatever was laying dead and cold at Otabek's core now beat frantically to life.

Snorting, something Otabek couldn't decipher as either sarcastic or serious, the younger man turned around and leaned over the railing again. "Maybe. No, definitely. But more than that."

He understood. God, he understood. To make this connection was one chance in a million, and to hell if he was going to let it go. Otabek leaned with him, gazing out on the crowd. "I know what you mean."

Yuri's eyes turned predatory as he whipped his head around and sized up Otabek's frame, and the taller one resisted the urge to swallow down the the sudden icy feeling in his throat as he inky black eyes met sharp green. "You don't know shit about me." He understood that, too. There was always more. A person could never truly know exactly what another had gone through, but that didn't mean their similarities should be disregarded completely.

Otabek's lips slightly parted. They were standing really close together, their bodies mere inches apart from touching. Whoever was going to be the first to lean in and initiate skin contact was sending n excellent thrill down his spine. "No," he answered, "I don't." His voice lowered substantially into a whisper with barely a breath of support, but somehow the blond man heard it. "But I want to." That was the irrevocable truth laid bare for Yuri's scrutiny. No playing games, it was now or never. A little louder, enough for his vocal cords to produce sound, he leaned further into Yuri's personal space, bringing their faces closer. "I want to get to know you."

He hadn't been aware that they were standing even closer together until he saw Yuri's pupils dilate, brilliant colors rushed across their face as the DJ continued with the show, their breath warm between their mouths, and Otabek had a hard time holding back his desperation to connect them. He was ready for this, to find out who had been on his mind since he'd woken up this morning. There was something brewing between them, a feeling that started the instant they met, and it was all very cliche and cheesy, but damn if those romantic stories his mother and father had shared with him weren't the absolute truth. He knew Yuri could feel it, too.

That's why he was left blinking uselessly as Yuri stepped backward a few paces, and just like that the unnamed spell that had grabbed a hold of both of them was broken.

Yuri looked conflicted and a bit like he was going to throw up as he stared down at his watch, which Otabek hadn't realized was beeping until it was turned off. "Hey, are you okay?" Belatedly, he realized it was the same first words he'd spoken to him yesterday, and it was the most wrong thing he could say in this moment according to the glare he received for it.

"It's not your concern!" The blond man turned away from him, getting ready to bolt. "I have to get going. I shouldn't be wasting my time here."

Otabek knew for a fact that he was not wasting his time, that they had clicked (an awful euphemism the kids used nowadays, but no less true) and he was unwilling to let him slip completely away and out of his life for good. "Wait. Can I get your number?"

The looked looked at him over his shoulder, smirking. "Why, you interested?"

He had no shame in nodding. Yes, he was interested. He wouldn't have chased him up here if he weren't. "I am."

That smirk lost some of its edge, almost teetering on the side of a genuine smile at his answer, before he shook his head and fully turned away again. "How do I know you aren't just some sort of perverted stalker? Or a psychopath with a taste for blonds?"

Frowning, Otabek stepped up closer to him so he didn't have to yell over the din of loud music and drunk people. "I promise I'm not a homicidal maniac. I know just saying it doesn't mean that it's believable, but you're feeling is the same, right?"

Yuri turned around to give him the full effect of his furious glare. He may have been short, but he was a little spitfire, something that had unexpectedly charmed him from the beginning. "You really are creepy!" No, he wasn't. At least he tried not to be. He just had a poor relationship with words. "Whatever, I'm out of here!"

The same words as before, how the hell did he manage to accomplish that? Replaying their encounter, he couldn't think of anything that he did wrong. He refused to believe that Yuri didn't feel a thing towards him, that he thought he was some sort of creepy ax murderer. He could see it in the stiffness of his movement as he stomped off that he really didn't want to leave, either. Whatever had alerted the blond man on his phone has upset him greatly, and Otabek grew even more curious as to what could cause the man to act so angrily. Yuri was reluctant to leave, and Otabek needed to find out the truth about what was making him act this way. Gathered up as much courage as he could and hoping that Yuri would give him another chance, the brunette followed him out. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs when, again, Yuri turned around to confront him. What he wasn't expecting were the tears prickling bright, emotional eyes. Otabek was taken aback enough to freeze his pursuit, staring openly as those eyes seemed to almost glow into the dim lighting of the warehouse, the emotions to deep and too many to get a read on.

"I said to leave me alone! Stop wasting your time!" Yuri made another hasty pace towards the entrance of the rave, and when Otabek attempted to follow him again, he didn't say anything because he knew there was no conversation that would help him convince the Russian otherwise. He was stopped short when Yuri pointed a threatening finger in front of his face. "I swear, if you keep following me I will turn into a tiger right here and eat you! Go away!"

Otabek frowned as he tried to process that threat only to come up blank. It made no sense, so it was probably another euphemism for something much worse, but the only result he was able to deduce was something dirty and inappropriate. Too intrigued to think it was anything serious, he followed him anyway. Yuri didn't notice he was following this time, there was enough distance between them to allow the taller man a bit of stealth until they were both outside. He must not have been as stealthy as he thought he was, as soon as he cleared the door the blond man was sizing him up with a scowl and a twitching eyebrow.

Then he yelled at him, "Fine, you asshole, don't say I didn't warn you" and stomped off.

It was nearing the darker side of sunset, the giant ball of plasma dipping almost completely under the horizon made deep shadows in the alleyways between buildings. Otabek willingly followed him into one of those alleys until they ended up in a field of brightly colored storage units stacked around them where he immediately tethered his eyes to Yuri so he wouldn't lose him when he turned around a few corners. Once they'd reached a large, square-like opening, Yuri stopped and turned around, putting his hands on his hips that emitted an attitude which made Otabek think was kind of hot if he ignored his gut feeling that something was about to happen, but he was determined to stay despite its nudging for him to leave. He stopped one storage length away, planted his feet and did not move. He wanted to move close, but he also didn't want to crowd the other man in case it made him feel uncomfortable or pressured.

He noted belatedly that he already did that when he followed him against the blond man's wishes.

"Don't get scared, now," Yuri cooed. Otabek cocked his head to the side to emphasize his raised eyebrow, a gesture that had Yuri launch into undressing.

The first to go were his shoes, an action that left Otabek even more puzzled since he'd thought maybe Yuri wanted to start a fight with him, but fighters usually didn't do so barefoot in alleys and shipping yards where there were less than sanitary conditions. Yuri started undoing his pants next, and while Otabek was enough of a gentleman to turn around when someone was stripping, the steadfast look in Yuri's eyes would not let him turn away even for one second. His eyes remained glued as he stripped down to his underwear. Yuri threw his hoodie at him directly, Otabek's arm instinctively reaching out to take hold of it so it didn't land on the ground before he could even think about it. He was so confused and he had no idea what was happening so he merely stayed silent rather than make a weird situation worse.

Otabek could tell when the last of the sun's rays vanished from this town's horizon completely. He shouldn't have been able to see the world get a little bit darker, they were in the midst of large, towering crates, but he could. Sunset was a gradual thing people witnessed over the course of an hour, but not tonight and not to him. It was like someone turning off a light switch in a room with no windows; the shadows on the ground grew inky, the sky lost its color, streetlamps flickered on, and the Russian man in front of him began to move. He never attacked Otabek, and he didn't run away, two of the main actions he thought he would take. Instead, he lowered himself to the ground in a crouch, that shiny, golden hair falling halfway over his face as his expression tensed.

He could feel a jolt of static electricity in the air that had the hairs on his arm raising, and it was coming from Yuri. Otabek's face remained in something between horror and shock as he saw the blond's change initiate, unable to move the tiniest muscle. That small but fit body quivered, his skin rippling as it began to darken into light shades of orange and grow fuzzy, blond hair retreated into his skull. Glaring green eyes narrowed his pupils into primal slits, still locked onto Otabek's. His underwear ripped as his bones cracked, broke, and reshaped themselves, his muscles snapping apart to mold around the new skeletal structure. He fell to his knees and Otabek saw his spine lengthen beyond his backside into a fully developed tail. His markings appeared across his back, shoulders, head, and legs.

Stood before him was a large, beautiful, deadly Siberian tiger.

The night stood silent and still as they both sized each other up, one fighting between conflicting emotions of awe and terror while the other was trying to get his breathing under control as the energy from his change sapped his strength. Once they came to the conclusion that the transformation was over, predictably nearly at the same time, Yuri roared at Otabek, making him stumble back onto his ass as the Russian turned tiger sprinted away, turning corners and disappearing from view, leaving Otabek alone to process just what the fuck had happened.

It took him a while to slowly get back up on his feet, there was no telling how much time had passed since he fell prone on his butt. He didn't care. Not bothering to brush the dirt off his pants, Otabek stumbled forward unsteadily, one foot shaky and unsure in front of the other as his body moved on autopilot while his brain tried to wrap around the events that had just transpired. He had just moved out on his own. His friend told him to come to a rave to forget his worries for a while. He actually agreed. In the next town over he ran into Yuri. He couldn't get him out of his head since. He meets him here. Yuri acts strangely. Yuri pushes him away. Yuri turns into a tiger.

Werewolves and people turning into animals were a part of fiction, but sure enough he had just seen it happen. Things like this only happened in dreams, and he wanted to believe he'd been asleep, but no amount of self harm would wake him up. Movies and books, myths and fairy tales, none of that was real. For his entire life, Otabek had been brought up in a serious family; from an early age his parents set him in reality where there were no such things like imaginary friends or boogie men, or people that could turn into animals.

He missed out on being a child and believing in nonsense like magic and soul mates and destiny. He wondered what else he was missing, what else might be out there. The only possible way he could find out would be to catch up to Yuri and ask him, but he was nowhere in sight even as he rounded the corner of storage containers he had seen the younger man-turned-tiger disappear into. The streets were completely empty with nothing but the blinking lights, maze of containers, and the narrow walls of the warehouses making alleys in the distance. A labyrinth easy to get lost in, but this thought never crosses his mind and he continued to walk forward.

Belatedly, he realized Yuri's actions in the club suddenly made a lot more sense, the fact that he was trying to push him away easily concluded that this has happened before, someone had come along gotten close but something terrible had happened because of his tiger form. Otabek didn't know what he was going to do when he found him, part of him was even scared to think if Yuri even had complete control over himself while he was changed. How could he break through that wall of anger and isolation?

Otabek rounded another corner to the right, no longer knowing where he had gone, but needing to keep going all the same.

Yuri carried a lot of attitude and could certainly back it up with taking it out on other people with angry shouting, but in the end he never followed through with his threat. Otabek had been surprised and frightened enough to be vulnerable to attack; none came. Instead, Yuri had fled and Otabek was still in one piece.

He made another left.

Otabek didn't what he would do once he confronted Yuri. He supposed it would depend on what form he was in. If in his tiger form, he would assume the worst and prepare to run away or be eaten. At best, the tiger would change back into human so they could actually talk about what the fuck just happened. What he expected was for him to run away again, to lose Otabek in this maze of warehouses.

He decided against wasting anymore energy making turns, choosing to glancing down openings and other alleys while he passed by them.

Otabek hadn't noticed the exact moment when his walking turning into running. It was a minor realization, his head too full of more important thoughts to paying attention to any automatic movements his body was doing. Could he be blamed himself since he witnessed a person literally turn into a tiger right in front of him, which defied everything his parent brought him to not believe? He shook his head, unwilling to focus on anything but his need to find Yuri. At this moment, everything else was inconsequential. He was running in the middle of an industrial city's warehouse district in Russia, trying in vain to track down a large Siberian tiger that had promised to eat him and didn't, then practically disappeared behind a corner.

If Yuri could willingly turn back into a human, maybe Otabek could try to get a few answers out of him before he tried to run away again. Maybe he could address the chemistry that they both clearly shared, and perhaps, if he was really lucky, he could even get contact information. And at the very worst, Yuri would turn into a large cat and leave without saying a word. He expected a lot of angry shouting, more glares, and orders for him not to get involved.

It was too late for that. Yuri involved him the moment he transformed in front of him. Otabek would bet his recently acquired, and very important, newfound independence that Yuri didn't change whimsically in front of many people. Someone somewhere, would have secretly tried to document it and post it on social media. Then the government would get involved and that wouldn't bode well for anyone. It was actually quite clever of Yuri to show off here, at a rave that had loud music, alcohol, weed, and various hallucinogenic pharmaceuticals otherwise illegal. He would come off as drunk, high, or any state of mind between.

Coming to a large, brick wall blocking his path, he turned left again, a random direction that had no thought, but it was counterproductive to his plight. A car passed in front of him, effectively cutting off his route and making his legs stutter to a stop. He was back out to the main road that lead to these buildings and the rave still going on without a care just down the street. And if he squinted, he could just make out where he parked on the opposite side.

Knowing his friend would understand if he left early, Otabek made his way to the car, mind going a mile a minute, too distracted to remain on one thing at a time. His body did the thinking for him, steering him to the other side of the street safely as he dug the key out of his pocket. He remained in that zombie-like state as he turned the lock and climbed in the back, all hope of finding the younger man a hopeless pit of despair in his stomach. It had been his intention to sleep in the car for the night, packing extra pillows and blankets in the trunk to make it a bit more comfortable, and then drive back in the morning. Even as he pulled them to the back seat, he wasn't so sure what he was going to do in the morning, and it was all thanks to Yuri's unexpected appearance. He had been a vision at the party, his hair standing out the most, like a beacon signaling him to come over...

He looked down at his lap, at where the blond's hoodie was clenched in both of his fists. He didn't even realize he still had it with him. He had to return it to him, but would he ever come back to Otabek for it? He hoped that he would. He hung the white and galaxy lion over the passenger seat, hoping to calm the distractions it rattled in his head. Instead he busied himself with making his bed. Sleep, then he will think about what to do tomorrow.

With that in mind, he fell asleep.

*O*

"Hey, Yuuri!"

Phichit's overzealous greeting was loud in his ear, something that could annoy other people, but being his best friend for a number of years, it only made Yuuri smile. "Hey Peach." An affectionate term of endearment that he had come up with during the first birthday they celebrated together and it stuck.

"I haven't heard from you in a while, how are you holding up?"

A lot had happened, and he didn't know where to start so he did the thing he was best at; avoidance. "What? It's only been a couple days." If Phichit had been there physically, he would have picked up on something automatically, but for now his divergence seemed to work as the Thai man gasped.

"Well, excuse me if your best friend misses hearing your voice every day! Yuuri, you're so mean!"

Yuuri's laugh was genuine at his friend's affronted tone. "I'm not mean."

"Yes, you are! Don't even try to deny it. It's pointless," he said, as if it were a matter of fact, and leaving no room for debate.

He sighed. Sometimes Phichit could be insufferable. "Okay, sure. I'm mean."

"Yuuri, what's wrong?"

Apparently, he wasn't as good at hiding things as he thought. Phichit proved time and again that he didn't need to share the same space as Yuuri to know that there was something bothering him. How he managed to pick up on these little things, Yuuri had no clue. Phichit was a people person, and Yuuri was damned if he understood those types. They had something akin to a sixth sense when reading other people, an understanding that Yuuri found perplexing. "Everything," he admitted as he flopped onto the couch.

There was slight rustling and he imagined the other man was getting comfy. They were in for a long talk tonight. "Then tell ol' Phichit about it."

Yuuri's head fell onto the couch's back cushions. "I'm older than you."

"Semantics." He could almost see Phichit wave his hand in the air and he laughed. They laughed. It was weird how Phichit could always get him to calm down and make him laugh while at the same time talk seriously about a certain subject he wanted nothing to do with. "Seriously, though, stop avoiding. You should know better than to try that with me." Yes, he should. And yet he tries, anyway. He's afraid of what that might say about his character. "Is it getting too much to be down there alone? Do you need company? I swear I will book the next flight there, just say the word!"

With his head still useless, his eyes shifted to his recently acquired picture. "Well, I wouldn't say that..."

"It must be tough being over there surrounded by your parents' things, knowing they won't come back. I don't think I would be able to get through it without either of you."

It almost brought Yuuri to tears how his friend cared about him so much, and he gave a watery smile. He would do the same. "Thanks, Peach. I'm okay for now."

But Phichit couldn't hear the smile and continued to worry. "You're sure?"

"I am. I promise you will be the first person I call if I need someone here."

"What about Mari," he asked, dubiously. Yuuri hugged a pillow as he tucked his feet under him. Mari always said to call her, but she had enough on her plate to deal with.

"She has the onsen to take care of. I can't bother her."

"You know she'll take the next flight over and beat you up if she ever hears that."

Yuuri lowered his voice to a conspiratorial near-whisper. "Then I'll have to trust that you can keep your mouth shut."

"You know me, I can never keep my mouth shut!"

"Liar. You do it all the time for me."

It was Phichit's turn to lower his tone. "Just don't tell anyone, I have a reputation as a gossip to uphold."

He sighed as if he could feel a headache coming on, the usual way his body responded whenever he had to somehow deal with that side of his best friend. "You and Chris, both." It was worse when they were together. So much worse.

"I keep Chris' mouth sealed by way of other means," Phichit responded, lewdly, Yuuri could almost hear his smirk through the phone. that was something he already knew about and he didn't want any weird mental images floating around his head. There had been several times, through finding out indirectly, when Yuuri had accidentally called them when they were in the middle of... something. Chris would answer the phone, but he was used to that, since getting together they sometimes answered each other's phones. It was kind of adorable, and also sometimes annoying, but no matter who he got, they would always put the other on if he asked.

Except there were a few times where the other had been "indisposed" and they had to take a message for him. Whether it was Chris' caring tone, or Phichit's giggly trills, Yuuri thought nothing of it until Phichit let it slip a month later. Much to Phichit's and Chris' delight, Yuuri had blushed hotly and couldn't calm down until his best friend started fanning him with a magazine. "I didn't mean to spring that on you, seriously, I thought you already knew!" From then on, he was able to differentiate when they were truly unable to come to the phone, or if he was just interrupting play time.

"My lips are sealed," he said quickly. "Promise."

"Knew I could count on you!" Yuuri stuck his tongue out at him specifically because he couldn't see him. "So tell me what's going on over there! Have you dug up anything interesting? Have you made new friends? Chris showed me the pictures you've been sending. They're gorgeous!"

"I..." Yuuri blushed, not really sure what the deal was, considering sunsets and sunrises were very easy to photograph. All he had to do was point and aim, and let the beauty speak for itself. As for finding interesting things, there was quite a few, some of them a little embarrassing. And as far as new friends are concerned, the first-most person to come to mind was Viktor's face, all sparkly eyes and heart-shaped smile. He felt weak in the knees just thinking about him. He wondered what he could get away with not revealing.

"Hm? Yuuri?" Phichit's voice was expectant, as if daring him to downplay any of his responses. Yuuri wasn't quite courageous enough to take that dare.

He stuck with the first question in hopes he'll forget about the other one. "I found our baby things; books, blankets, toys. I found old wedding videos, too, that I plan to watch with Mari later."

"Aw..." Phichit cooed about all the sappy and cute things that could still be found and how he wished his parents would see those kinds of things about them. Yuuri smiled, letting his friend gush. He's met them before, and he could understand when his friend said they were a bit uptight. They didn't show it much, but Phichit knew they loved him and accepted him for who he was... As long as he was passing all his grades. "I wish I was there to discover them with you!"

"I know. And I promise I will send you pictures."

Phichit laughed. "You better. And how are the people over there? Has anyone given you some good stories yet?"

Yuuri blushed, because the only one to give him anything solid was... "So far they have been very nice to me. I haven't had any particularly bad experiences with any of them when I was in town. Viktor has already given me a few stories."

"And how about that thing you've got going on with Viktor?" He sounded calm, nonchalant, as if he were commenting on the weather, when in reality Yuuri knew he was dying to fanboy on the inside. Phichit's tone was anything but innocent and it made Yuuri blush and stammer all over again.

"I-I don't know what you mean! What 't-thing' are you talking about?"

"You aren't fooling me," the Thai man responded, voice flat and unimpressed as he confronted the Japanese man in complete bluntness. Yuuri panicked, not really knowing what to say, and so he went to his default setting of denying and running away.

"I'm not trying to! He was a friend of my parents and I am just trying to get to know him better."

"A friend who you said was really hot the last time we talked. Real innocent, there, dear. Wait, do you have a picture of him?"

Mortified, Yuuri pressed his face in the couch cushions and grumble, making Phichit ask for him to repeat himself. "I don't."

His friend gasped, affronted by this lack of evidence. "Unacceptable. Next time you two meet, I demand a photo!"

"Well about that..." Phichit made a questioning lilt with his voice, trying to get Yuuri to continue. He really didn't want to continue but he knew he would pay the price for it later if he didn't. Probably something socially embarrassing since that was Phichit's usual style. "I was supposed to meet him tonight, but I sort of put it off to tomorrow..."

"What?! Yuuri, how come?! Please don't tell me it was because I called, you know I don't like that."

He couldn't imagine how dark he was blushing right now, but it had to darker than a tomato by now. "I was just... feeling a bit nervous, anxious, and I made Mari worry..." He hugged the couch pillow close to his chest as he looked down at his socked feet. "So I thought it would be best to take a break."

He could practically feel the other's frown over their connection. "Do you really feel like things are going too fast?"

He tried to think about it for a moment, but his mind was going a mile a minute and he ended up with nothing. "I... don't know. Mari doesn't want me to rush into things, and I don't want her to worry that he might be an ax murderer..."

Phichit snorted out his laughter. "Uh... You do remember thinking the same thing, right?"

Yuuri couldn't resist an eye roll, even if Phichit wasn't there to bristle at it. "My _point_ is that Mari thinks I should take it slow, considering it's only been a few days since we've met. We've been talking a lot, connecting to each other and opening up with our past experiences, growing closer at a pace that I'm sure is much too fast."

"Okay, so that's how Mari feels about the situation... What about you?"

Caught off guard, Yuuri came up with only a "Huh?"

Phichit's voice was steady as he talked seriously with his best friend. "How do you feel when you are around him? What goes through your mind when you think about him?"

"Um... Many things." There was a complicated answer to that very specific questions, but lack of words struck any in-depth explanation. "He surprises me with how sympathetic he is to my recent loss, his understanding of me. My hearts beats a lot, especially when he touches me. There are moments I forget to breathe. But then he gets complicated. Sometimes I feel what he says is genuine. Other times I feel like he isn't telling me everything."

"It must be very important to him, whatever he isn't telling you, so don't be too hasty for him to spill everything. You're a patient person so I'm sure I don't have to tell you the obvious. Like you said, you guys are clicking super fast. I'm sure he will tell you soon."

Yuuri let a tight noise slip out as he curled in on himself, his emotions running wild. "But what should I do? Isn't it happening a little too fast? What if he is ready to tell me, but I'm not ready to hear it?"

"Stop ranting nonsense. Maybe for most normal people, yes, it's a bit fast." Well, that made Yuuri feel better... "But neither of you are normal, and neither is what you are going through, so I don't really think that applies."

He snorted, moving to lay down fully on the couch. "What, we're soul mates or something? Really Peach, this isn't like one of your romantic comedy chick flicks you're obsessed with."

"You're no fun. Anyway, keep going with him. Who knows, you may solve the riddle of Viktor-the-hermit faster than you think."

He adjusted his glasses as he let out a chuckle. "Thanks Phichit. I'll give it a try. If something feels well and truly wrong, I'll back off."

"That's the spirit, kiddo," Phichit cheered.

"Again, I'm older than you."

"That doesn't mean you don't have a childish steak sometimes," the Thai man accused.

Yuuri blinked innocently, his tone soon to match. "I don't know what you mean by that."

It didn't phase the other man one bit. "Let's start with that picture Chris sent you." It caused Yuuri to laugh.

"You mean the one with you drooling all over your pillow?"

"Yuuuuuri!"

* * *

Please let me know what you think! And if you have any questions, please send me an ask in my tumblr kuroneko-hikage.


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